Health committee  Some information is available for drug prices, but I've been unable to determine whether it is accurate. Once again, it was impossible to make international comparisons that struck me as credible. One thing is clear, and that is that decisions are made in favour of certain marke

Health committee  Thank you for your question Mr. Maguire. The data I reported on price differences came from PMPRB annual reports. The 19% rate represents the difference between average prices in Canada and in the rest of the OECD countries in 2017. However, as I mentioned, these differences ar

Health committee  We often neglect these aspects. And yet, the drugs were able to replace much more expensive surgical procedures. Not only do patients benefit directly in terms of health and quality of life, but hospitalizations and operations that are often much more expensive are avoided. It al

Health committee  Personally, I've lost confidence in the PMPRB's ability to make accurate international price comparisons. And of course it's also related to the discounts and rebates that manufacturers offer to different clients, which are confidential. These types of discounts exist in Canada,

Health committee  Yes, that's right. It's a part of the debate that remains completely hidden. We focus a lot on prices, but the other side of the story is the benefits in all spheres of the economy. We shouldn't look at prices alone, but rather at what we get in exchange. In the case of drugs, as

Health committee  Thank you for the question. I was not. My involvement was more through the studies I conducted and published, which are in the public domain.

Health committee  No, I did not pay close attention to any collaboration between the PMPRB and patient groups. I kept my distance. I'm an independent researcher. To be sure, I paid special attention to the reform being considered and to everything in the public domain. On the other hand, I'm not u

Health committee  Based on my own experience, when the regulatory organization, in this instance the PMPRB, maintains a climate of trust with the other stakeholders, things go much more smoothly. A dialogue on both sides is established. When people are transparent and acknowledge that the proposed

Health committee  It's a bit of both of these factors, but mainly the uncertainty. As you know, uncertainty is the worst enemy of investors and companies, particularly pharmaceutical companies, which don't know what to do at the moment. They are very much afraid that the reform would reduce expect

Health committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to thank members of the Standing Committee on Health for the opportunity to testify today as an individual on the regulatory changes contemplated by the Patent Medicine Prices Review Board, the PMPRB. Earlier this afternoon, I showed that spe

Health committee  Yes, absolutely. I mentioned in my remarks that this reform wouldn't likely generate long-term benefits for Canadians. On the contrary, there's considerable risk for access to new drugs. Access could be delayed or R&D investment undermined. You know the rest. I won't repeat

Health committee  Actually, the PMPRB people cited that example in public debate. It's an example of what you shouldn't do when you want to advance an argument in science. It's anecdotal. They took a suitable country that exhibits in several respects what they wanted to demonstrate, but it's a sma

Health committee  Absolutely. It really surprised me. When I look at the PMPRB's annual reports, I'm always surprised that it fails to adjust for inflation, for example, in presenting chronological data on changes in drug spending. It's an amateur mistake. In fact, you can't make that kind of mist

Health committee  Thank you.

Health committee  Thank you for your question, Mr. Thériault. First, you're entirely right to note the contradiction. It's obvious. In fact, the PMPRB admits, through its actions and regulatory relief for vaccines, that its reform will indeed cause launch delays and problems. If it were consiste