Madam Speaker, as a registered nurse, having worked in the community as well as in hospitals, and having met with individuals with rare diseases, I can say that I understand what the member is talking about. There are significant challenges for patients with rare diseases in our country.
Under the Food and Drugs Act and regulations, all products sold or marketed in Canada that make a therapeutic claim need to be approved by Health Canada. The drug authorization process is initiated when a manufacturer files a submission to Health Canada for review. The drug company that the member talked about has not submitted this drug.
To improve the access of effective treatments to Canadians, we will work with the provinces, territories and other key partners to develop a national strategy for high-cost drugs for rare diseases.