A regulatory framework exists. We can't compel sponsors to come in and apply for market authorization. We can certainly encourage them. We can explain the process, facilitate, and provide incentives. However, ultimately it's a company's decision whether they market a product in Canada.
You probably heard over the last few testimonies that it is sometimes challenging to get products into market. We try to facilitate the conditions that would bring these products, through providing the framework for clinical trials, which supports clinical trials on rare diseases, and a process for priority reviews and notice of compliance with conditions, which I think we spoke about when we were here the last time, that incentivizes companies to come to market.
Once they're approved by Health Canada to be on the market, it's for other players within the system to decide on price and whether the provinces decide to ultimately fund it. It's beyond our role in that process. Maybe Karen can speak a bit about it.
As we talked about last time we were here, the special access program is one that is unique. It provides, on a probation basis, based on a request from a physician, access to an unapproved therapy that has not gone through the regular scrutiny for evidence around its quality, safety and efficacy. It's for the physician to explain why this therapy is the best choice for the particular patient in front of them, why it's a serious and life-threatening condition, why other available therapies, if they exist, have been considered and are not suitable, and evidence that supports its use.
Because special access requests are authorized in those kinds of conditions, they're not authorized for long periods of time. Typically, it's three to six months.
There can be a unique situation where a product receives an authorization, but it takes a company, once they get their approval, several months to get their labelling together and then actually put the product on the market. There's a period after a product gets market authorization where it's still not available, so the special access program will continue to provide access under that.
We shorten the time period because we know ultimately the product will be on the market. If there's an alternative product at the same time being accessed, we would shorten that as well, because we anticipate that most practitioners would transition to an approved therapy once it's available on the market.