I would like to follow up on the issue raised by Mr. Brown.
Ms. Philp, you stated that all the new diabetes drugs had been rejected by the CDR analyst. Why? Was cost a factor?
When the CDR official came before us to explain the program and its effectiveness, he told us that this type of decision regarding new drugs was made when only one or two new molecules had been added. It was not felt that this improved the quality of life of individuals.
Could you give us some examples of drugs that would improve the lives of people living with diabetes, even though those drugs were rejected?
I'm thinking along the same lines as Mr. Brown. The drugs appear to be assessed on the basis of their effectiveness, and we're being told that adding one or two molecules to some drugs does nothing to enhance their effectiveness. Therefore, they are not recommended for listing.
Provinces reject drugs for another reason, and that is, their ability to pay for the drugs.
Do the provinces not apply any pressure? The fact that they cover 70% of the cost of CDR means that no authority is given to have the drug covered by a drug plan.
This is a two-part question. Could you please respond?