Our paper gives a menu of areas where we think the federal government does have a major role to play, and the pricing of pharmaceuticals is one of those.
It is true that the patent system is the main reason pharmaceuticals, especially brand-name pharmaceuticals, are so expensive. The patent system is a piece of legislation that we have created to give a monopoly to pharmaceuticals and owners of patents. If you give a legal monopoly to specific sellers, then presumably they have to accept that they will be regulated.
In our opinion, the federal government can take a lead role with respect to the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance. They can include private insurers in the negotiations for lower prices and exercise buying power on behalf of not just public plans but also private plans in getting better prices from the pharmaceutical companies.
Furthermore, there are opportunities for the patent PMPRB—