On September 23, 2020, the government identified national pharmacare, a national program to fund prescription drugs in Canada, as a continued priority in the Speech from the Throne (the Speech) to open the Second Session of the 43rd Parliament of Canada.
As we reported, the federal government previously announced funding for the implementation of certain recommendations from the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare, including the creation of: (1) the Canadian Drug Agency; (2) a national formulary; and (3) a national strategy for high-cost drugs for rare diseases.
The Speech reaffirms that national pharmacare remains an important initiative for the federal government and its intention to accelerate steps to implement national pharmacare including:
- “Through a rare-disease strategy to help Canadian families save money on high-cost drugs;
- Establishing a national formulary to keep drug prices low;
- And working with provinces and territories willing to move forward without delay.”
A complete copy of the Speech can be found here.