Science and Research Committee on Oct. 20th, 2025

[Bettina Hamelin]

I will also invite my colleague Jennifer to comment, as she is working closely with Health Canada.

Health Canada is currently considering novel pathways to rely on regulatory decisions from other jurisdictions that are faster in their review process and get to the files earlier than Health Canada. The FDA used to be the fastest. We'll see how that evolves with the changes there. The EMA also approves more quickly than Health Canada. Health Canada is looking at reliance mechanisms.

Jennifer, would you like to comment a bit more on the specifics?

[Jennifer Buckley, Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs and Clinical Research Transformation, Innovative Medicines Canada]

Sure. Thank you, Bettina.

We've been working with Health Canada. Health Canada has been doing some great work, looking at reliance as well as work sharing. There are a number of regulators globally that have similar scientific backgrounds and similar approaches, so there's a real benefit and value in greater global collaboration.

There is a program called Access that Health Canada is a part of. There is work under way to make that process more effective. The overall goal is to ensure that Health Canada remains a world-class regulator and maintains its ability to have the scientific expertise in house as well, but it's also to ensure that it has that global collaboration that really makes science and research and development more effective and more efficient in Canada and globally as well.

[Helena Jaczek, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

Thank you for that.

I'll follow up on my colleague MP Noormohamed's question, Dr. Hamelin. Once Health Canada has approved in terms of the safety and effectiveness of the particular product, it seems, and we've certainly heard, that it's a duplicative effort on the part of provinces to a certain extent. They obviously have the issue of the cost and price of a particular product, perhaps, for their own jurisdiction.

Could you elaborate? I know you committed to sending written information, but could you tell us about how you could see streamlining that process?

[Bettina Hamelin]

Following Health Canada, Canada's Drug Agency evaluates the pharmacoeconomics of a new product. As part of that, it also evaluates clinic evidence that has already been evaluated by Health Canada in order to make the decision that a new product is safe and effective. There is a duplication there.

The pharmacoeconomics is also undertaken by the industry. The challenge is that the pharmacoeconomic model that Canada's Drug Agency applies at the moment has not been updated in a long time, and it uses comparators that are really quite outdated in terms of the value of a human life. It also does not take into account the value of a new product, a new medicine, in terms of saving lives, in terms of keeping people productive and participants in our economy. There's an imbalance in terms of looking strictly at the cost.

Then, the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance starts its activities only once Canada's Drug Agency has made its decision and has made a recommendation. If the recommendation from Canada's Drug Agency is a negative one, the industry has invested all of this investment to no avail, because it's very difficult to start the process again. Then, the negotiations—

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I'm sorry for interrupting. Time is up.

[Bettina Hamelin]

It's a long process, but I'm happy to provide details.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Yes, please. Thank you.

We will now proceed to Mr. Blanchette-Joncas.

Please go ahead. You will have two and a half minutes.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

Dr. Stinson, universities play a critical role in infection prevention, but research often remains underfunded, especially outside of major centres. Given that Canada is lagging behind other G7 countries in R and D investment, what recent innovations do you think hold the most promise or are most easily applied in the field to spur prevention and collaboration between researchers and clinicians?

[Kevin Stinson]

Thank you for the question. I will answer it in English.

With regard to a research funding capacity, universities are that main aspect of where the research is occurring. One opportunity that we need is how to get less of the academic, high-level research and how to drive that to applied, translatable research.

When we look at opportunities along those fields, one example right now is that we have industries in Canada and abroad bringing in—as Kim referred to—infection control technologies and engineered environments. It's very difficult right now to say what the cost-benefit analysis of these expensive technologies is for truly preventing infections. The literature is very poor on doing that analysis, so there's a huge opportunity there.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

People often talk about evidence-informed decision-making. Do we have enough reliable and accessible data today to inform our prevention policies? Have the lessons learned from COVID‑19 really been incorporated into long-term planning?

[Kevin Stinson]

Our data is at best generalized. It gives us trends, but it does not really map transmission. In order to take that and to implement something that makes sense for a community, for a small subsection, we need to have a better sense on the granular level.

We also need to look at sectors outside of just acute care. That's where the majority of surveillance data comes from, but right now—in southern Ontario for example—multiple hospitals, including our own, are seeing this trend of one particular pathogen increasing dramatically. If it's multiple hospitals all seeing the same trend, it's clearly not purely a hospital problem. There's a community element to that, but we really don't have any data looking at community transmission.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you. Your time is up.

We will end this panel at 12:05, as we suspended the meeting for five minutes. We will have four minutes for Mr. Mahal and then four minutes for MP Rana.

MP Mahal, you will have four minutes. Please go ahead.

[Jagsharan Singh Mahal, Conservative, Edmonton Southeast, AB]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'll be sharing my time with MP Ho, if there is time.

I will start with Dr. Hamelin.

Doctor, in your testimony and in the answers to my colleagues, you answered that there is no structure to commercialized medicine in Canada. Is it that there's no structure or that there are too many structures and too much red tape that comes into play when it comes to commercializing the drugs? Which one is it? Is it too much red tape, or is it no red tape?

[Bettina Hamelin]

There is too much red tape, and there are too many structures doing duplicative work, although there are some attempts happening to overlay some of this. There are too many structures, too much red tape, and that really prevents us from bringing medicines to Canada.

[Jagsharan Singh Mahal, Conservative, Edmonton Southeast, AB]

You also commented that when it comes to AMR and the researchers in regard to AMR, we lack, or we stand last in the G7.

Who do you think is responsible? Is it because of the federal government or the red tape? Is it because of academia and that there isn't enough research done on it, or is it because of the production side of the drugs? Which one is more responsible?

[Bettina Hamelin]

The comparison to the G7 refers to the time it takes to reimburse the medicine—the time to put the medicine on a hospital formulary.

The Canadian researchers are stellar. It does not have to do with the research. The research on antibiotics, specifically, is tough research, because the mechanisms are complex, and because, as Dr. Stinson explained, the genetics change. The research capacity in Canada certainly is there.

It really has to do with too much red tape that prolongs the processes to bring medicines to the patient.

[Jagsharan Singh Mahal, Conservative, Edmonton Southeast, AB]

Thank you for the answer.

Dr. Stinson, you referred to this in your testimony, and you heard from other members of the panel as well that there are different levels of government and that there is misinformation and disinformation that is being spread out.

I can speak about the experience I had with my mother. My mother had a UTI, and she was at a stage where she developed AMR. After two weeks of treatment at the local hospital of Gray Nuns, which is in my riding, they had to order a drug that had to come from Ontario. It took about, I think, two to three weeks.

Would it not be better if we were to have a body at the federal level that would provide those drugs to all the provinces, to all the local bodies, and that would also work with their motor facilities to respond to those day-to-day challenges? How would you respond to that?

[Kevin Stinson]

Yes, absolutely. This isn't just a problem with antimicrobials.

For many of the drugs where you have to go through the special access program to gain access, there is a delay in getting them into Canada and actually to the patient's bedside. Unfortunately, in that delay, when you are dealing with someone who is critically ill, every minute counts. That delay has the direct risk of impacting lives.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I'm sorry, Mr. Mahal. Your time is up.

[Jagsharan Singh Mahal, Conservative, Edmonton Southeast, AB]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you.

We will now go to MP Rana.

MP Rana, you will have four minutes. Please go ahead.

[Aslam Rana, Liberal, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thanks to the witnesses for their valuable time.

Through you, Madam Chair, I will ask Dr. Hamelin a question.

You have worked in academia, industry and general medicine. Now that you lead IMC, how do you see Canada's research landscape changing when it comes to tackling antimicrobial resistance?

[Bettina Hamelin]

Canada has a huge opportunity to advance AMR by putting in place the pan-Canadian AMR plan to make this a program that is a long-lasting program and a collaboration between the industry and all levels of government.

That would bring investments to the antimicrobial space. It would bring investments to Canada. It would bring more clinical trials to Canada. It would create jobs in Canada.

What it requires is really executing on this plan, doing this as fast as possible and engaging in this push-pull incentive: a real collaborative approach between the industry and all levels of government in Canada.

[Aslam Rana, Liberal, Hamilton Centre, ON]

What are the biggest challenges companies are facing in Canada in developing antimicrobial and antibiotic solutions?

[Bettina Hamelin]

The biggest challenge for the industry in Canada is the unpredictability of the marketplace. That puts a huge risk on the industry.

Also, keep in mind that with special access programs, basically the accountability is entirely on the industry to provide medicines for free. I think that really deters innovation as a whole, whether it is related to antimicrobial resistance or other disease areas of unmet medical need.