This new agreement provides a stable and predictable environment for generic manufacturers, who help fill approximately 75 percent of all prescriptions across Canada, to continue launching new drugs. Continued access to new generics will help public drug plans maintain their costs and provide savings for Canadians who use prescription drugs in participating public drug plans and private drug plans.

This post-pandemic agreement constitutes an important achievement since it maintains the current pricing and savings achieved in previous negotiated agreements and provides additional savings for future new generics at a time when inflation and the rising cost of living are affecting many Canadians. To this end, the price of new generics entering into the pan-Canadian Tiered Pricing Framework will drop automatically to 55 per cent of brand reference price after 3 months for situations where there is only one generic marketed in Canada. The prior agreement provided for a listing at 75 to 85 per cent of brand reference price for new generics.

The new initiative is effective October 1^st, 2023, for a period of three years with the option to extend by an additional two years.

Previous joint efforts between pCPA and CGPA have resulted in savings of over $4 billion to participating drug plans over the past ten years which will only continue to grow over the course of this new pan-Canadian agreement. 

About

The pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance brings provinces, territories, and federal drug plans together to negotiate prices for publicly covered drugs in order to achieve greater value for publicly funded drug programs and patients through its combined negotiating power.

The Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association represents Canada’s generic pharmaceutical industry. The industry plays an important role in controlling health-care costs in Canada. Generic drugs are dispensed to approximately 75 percent of all prescriptions.

Media Contacts

pCPA
Email: communications@pcpacorp.ca

Jeff Connell
Vice President, Corporate Affairs
Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA)
Tel: (416) 223-2333
Mobile: (647) 274-3379
Email: jeff@canadiangenerics.ca

L’article The pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance and the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association have successfully negotiated a Renewed Three-Year Generics Initiative est apparu en premier sur CGPA – Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association.

Toronto, March 20, 2023 — The Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA) today launched an advertising campaign, created by leading advertising and design firm, Key Gordon Communications Inc, to highlight the cost savings Canadians see from using generic medicines — and the savings that could be realized if more generic medications were used. 

“Cost of living pressures are front of mind for Canadians,” said CGPA president Jim Keon. “This advertising campaign responds directly to that anxiety by pointing out in very direct terms how generic pharmaceuticals are as safe and effective as the brand-name versions, but are available at a fraction of the cost. In fact, last year the use of generic medicines saved Canadians more than $33-billion — that’s roughly $2,300 per Canadian household.” 

“However, this isn’t simply about cost savings already enjoyed by Canadians. We’re also pointing out in our ads that if the use of generics increased by just one percent, Canadians would save up to an additional $756 million annually,” said Keon. “This means that increasing the use of generics is a huge opportunity for further savings to Canadian taxpayers, employers and patients.”

“The stats are so powerful and the message so timely,” said Grant Gordon, president and creative director at Key Gordon, “So, that’s why we took a deliberately simple approach and let the facts speak for themselves in a PSA-style set of digital ads, which are live as of this morning.”

L’article CGPA Launches Ad Campaign to Share Cost Savings from Generic Medicines est apparu en premier sur CGPA – Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association.

TORONTO (March 16, 2023) — In a Nanos Research poll, Ontarians continue to show strong support for the government prioritizing strengthening our domestic generic pharmaceutical industry. 

Eighty-seven percent of Ontarians believe the provincial government should prioritize policies to strengthen Ontario’s domestic generic pharmaceutical industry. Specifically, more than 77 percent of Ontarians feel governments in Canada should provide subsidies and tax incentives to encourage manufacturers to make and bring new generic medicines to Canada, help manage global supply chain problems and to enhance emergency preparedness. Further, 75 percent of Ontarians also believe that government- and employer-sponsored drug benefit plans should prioritize the use of lower cost generic prescription medicines to make healthcare more affordable. 

“This poll makes it clear that Ontario voters understand the need for a robust, resilient domestic manufacturing sector for generic drugs. Our industry provides affordable, efficacious medicines to Ontario patients and employs thousands of Ontario workers,” said Jim Keon, President of the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA). “In fact, the overwhelming majority of Ontario voters recognize that policies such as tax incentives for generic drug manufacturing and, critically, ensuring major employer-sponsored drug plans switch to generics will not only strengthen this important Ontario industry, but will also help to keep drugs affordable for patients.” 

“Ontario voters are demonstrating an understanding of the economic needs of this sector and the relationship a strong domestic manufacturing of generic medicines has to reliable supply of affordable prescription drugs,” said Nik Nanos, Chief Data Scientist and Founder of Nanos Research. “With the upcoming provincial budget, the fact that Ontario voters are so clear in their support for potential government policy changes should be of note to decision makers at Queen’s Park.” 

About

Nanos conducted an RDD dual frame hybrid telephone and online random survey of 500 Ontarians, 18 years of age or older, between November 27th to December 1, 2022 as part of an omnibus survey. Participants were randomly recruited by telephone using live agents and administered a survey online. The results were statistically checked and weighted by age and gender using the latest census information and the sample is geographically stratified to be representative of Ontario. Individuals were randomly called using random digit dialing with a maximum of five call backs. The margin of error for a random survey of 500 Ontarians is ±4.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The research was commissioned by CGPA and was conducted by Nanos Research.

Nanos Research is one of North America’s premier market and public opinion research firms, putting strategic intelligence into the hands of decision makers.

L’article Ontarians Show Strong Support for Generic Medicines Sector est apparu en premier sur CGPA – Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association.

Michel Robidoux, President and General Manager at Sandoz Canada, has been unanimously elected as Vice Chair of CGPA.

“The generic pharmaceutical industry and our partners in the supply chain are facing significant challenges to our sustainability in Canada. Ensuring a stable, predictable market for our sector, and the continued supply and introduction of cost-saving generic prescription medicines for Canadians, remains our key focus,” said Mr. Shelley.

A key component of this work will be the successful negotiation of a new national pricing and market access initiative with the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA). The current pCPA Generics Initiative expires on March 31, 2023.

“Generic medicines are dispensed to fill nearly three quarters of all prescriptions in Canada. The security of Canada’s supply of prescription medicines rests largely with our industry,” Mr. Shelley said. “Ensuring a fair, equitable and predictable pricing environment is the most important factor in ensuring a strong domestic industry and supply chain.”

The COVID-19 pandemic served to highlight the importance of Canada having the ability to manufacture prescription medicines on Canadian soil and the need to strengthen our international partnerships.

“Canada is fortunate to have a strong generic pharmaceutical sector but the industry can no longer be taken for granted by policy makers,” said Mr. Shelley.

Prior to being appointed to this current role in 2018, Mr. Shelley served as Vice President, Sales for the Apotex generic business in Canada. A 26-year veteran of Apotex, Ray has held progressively senior positions in the company within Sales and Marketing. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University or Windsor and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business.

L’article Ray Shelley of Apotex Elected Chair of Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association ; Michel Robidoux of Sandoz Elected Vice Chair est apparu en premier sur CGPA – Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association.

Before Covid 19, we saw how international disputes can wreak havoc. China, for instance, abruptly cancelled billions of dollars of canola imports from Canada sending our farmers into a tailspin. Then, throughout the global pandemic, we saw how supply lines for so many products we rely on can easily be disrupted and cause reverberations throughout our economy.

From semiconductors to baby formula, we’ve experienced how fragile supply chains can be. Now, with the war in Ukraine, we’re seeing how the European Union’s reliance on Russian oil and gas has put Europe between a rock and a hard place. Their dependence on Russian fossil fuels has meant that since the beginning of the invasion, Russia has had the EU over a barrel, so to speak.

Since the pandemic, we have all had to learn about the precarity and “just in time” nature of our supply chains. We need to ensure our supply chains are resilient and reliable in this age of increasing global uncertainty, and not dependent on potentially hostile trading partners. Nowhere is this urgent need truer than in our domestic prescription drug supply.

For the past number of years, generic medicine suppliers – those who produce the vast majority of Canadians’ daily prescriptions – have been warning that our domestic production is heavily reliant on active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) produced in India and China.

What if there’s another global crisis and a country we rely on for APIs, for one reason or another, cuts off our supply? Is our pharmaceutical supply overexposed to potential trade disputes, geopolitical events and pandemics? Are we taking risks we don’t need to take?

As noted in a recent study by EY Canada, our country is increasingly dependent on imports for its supply of prescription medicines, with the number of domestically produced generic medicines declining 34 percent over the past three years. Disturbingly, now only 12 percent of the volume of generic medicines sold in Canada are produced domestically.

This is a risk to our domestic supply’s reliability, and a missed opportunity to create more well-paying Canadian jobs. Moreover, despite the fact generic medicines are already significantly more affordable than their brand-name equivalents, there is continued pressure on Canada’s generic drug makers for lower prices, which represents an additional risk. We cannot simply continue to drive down prices for generic prescription medicines without further compromising the viability of Canada’s generic pharmaceutical sector, and the 11,000 well-paying jobs that go with it.

A little bit of background: generic medicines fill 74 percent of all prescriptions and yet they account for less than 21 percent of the overall spend on prescription drugs. That’s a huge differential. Over the past 15 years, prices for some of the top-selling generic medicines in Canada have fallen by as much as 80 percent. Today, generics can cost as little as 10% of their brand-name equivalents.

Yet, surprisingly, Canada uses a lower percentage of generic medicines than the United States. Using generic medicines more often, including implementing “mandatory generic substitution” in health insurance plans so that dispensers use generics by default, would save Canadian patients, governments and employers significant amounts of money. For every percent we increase our use of generics, Canadian taxpayers could save more than $340 million.

Further, as shown in a new report by Aviseo Conseil, the generic pharmaceutical sector is especially vulnerable to inflation. Because of fixed pricing, it is unable to adjust prices in the short term to reflect increased production costs. The increasing costs of labour, transportation and a complex regulatory regime are real pressures for the industry.

The inflationary pressures faced by pharmaceutical companies compare to those now faced by Canadian families but added together with the reality that global supply chains have become increasingly complex, introducing risks, disruptions and shortages of prescription medicines, industry leaders are indeed worried. The real solution to inflationary pressures on Canadian families isn’t to further reduce prices of generic drugs: it’s to use more of them.

Recent events – from cancelled canola to countless supply chain problems during Covid to the war in Ukraine – should all be wake-up calls. When it comes to food, energy and medicine, Canada needs to be more self-reliant.

Governments across Canada should heed calls by the generic pharmaceutical sector to help strengthen our domestic manufacturing capabilities and the international supply chain. Waiting several months for a new car is inconvenient. But waiting months for your heart medication? That could be deadly.

Jim Keon is president of the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association

L’article When it comes to food, energy and medicine, Canada needs to be more self-reliant est apparu en premier sur CGPA – Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association.

“The Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA) and its member companies support efforts to improve prescription drug coverage for Canadians. Making prescription drugs more affordable and accessible is the key value proposition of Canada’s generic pharmaceutical industry.

The ongoing sustainability of our health-care system and drug benefit plans is highly dependent on the increased use of generic prescription medicines. Generic prescription medicines are dispensed to fill nearly three quarters of all prescriptions in Canada but account for only less than 21 percent of the $35-billion Canadians spend annually on prescription drugs. Due to CGPA’s initiatives with the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA), Canadian generic medicines are providing greater value than ever and more must be done to increase their use and the resulting savings to Canada’s health-care system. It is estimated that a one percent increase in the use of generic medicines Canadians would have saved an additional $704-million last year alone. 

While CGPA supports efforts to improve prescription drug coverage, governments must also ensure that Canadians have a more secure supply of prescription medicines by supporting enhanced domestic production capacity and a more resilient supply chain.

A recent study by consulting firm EY Canada commissioned by CGPA reports that, over the past three years, there has been a 34 percent decline in the total number of generic medicines manufactured in Canada from 1,061 in 2019 to 700 in 2021. In addition, almost all active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) used to manufacture generic medicines in Canada are imported from 45 countries around the world, with more than 60 percent of APIs coming from India and China.

The report warns that global supply chains have become increasingly complex, introducing risks, disruptions and shortages of prescription medicines. The generics market in Canada faces downward pressure on pricing with increasing costs of labour, land, transportation, fuel and a complex regulatory regime. Combined, these elements are increasing the fragility of the domestic industry.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian generic pharmaceutical companies have overcome significant challenges to successfully avoid catastrophic prescription drug shortages. Governments and stakeholders must now take steps to strengthen the domestic industry and optimize how generic prescription medicines are supplied to Canadians.

We must learn from the threats to our supply of prescription medicines posed by the pandemic and ensure that a national pharmacare program improves prescription drug coverage for Canadians while also protecting their supply.”

L’article Canada’s Generic Pharmaceutical Industry Supports Improved Access to Prescription Drug Coverage for Canadians est apparu en premier sur CGPA – Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association.

Toronto, February 7, 2022 – A new study released today calls on governments in Canada to take measures to help ensure Canadians’ access to prescription medicines by strengthening Canada’s domestic generic pharmaceutical manufacturing and the international supply chain.

“Generic prescription medicines are dispensed to fill nearly three quarters of all prescriptions in Canada,” said Jim Keon, President of the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA). “The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that the security of Canadians’ supply of needed medicines can no longer be taken for granted by governments and policy makers. We need action to ensure that we put our industry and the nation’s drug supply on a more stable footing.

The study, by consulting firm EY Canada commissioned by CGPA, reports that global supply chains have become increasingly complex, introducing risks, disruptions and shortages of prescription medicines. These risks, such as export restrictions, interruptions to international transportation, and reliance on foreign partners, highlight the importance of measures to support the manufacture of prescription drugs in Canada and secure channels of import for medicines and inputs needed to produce them.

The generics market in Canada faces downward pressure on pricing with increasing costs of labour, land, transportation and a complex regulatory regime. Combined, these elements are increasing the fragility of the domestic industry.

According to data in the EY Canada report, between 2019 and 2021, CGPA member companies produced – by manufacturing or importing – 6,225 generic pharmaceutical products for Canada, excluding active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Approximately 44 percent, or 2,743, of these products were manufactured domestically and 56 percent, or 3,482, were imported finished products. Since 2019, however, there has been a consistent decline in the total number of locally manufactured medicines from 1,061 in 2019 to 700 in 2021. In addition, almost all APIs used to manufacture generic medicines in Canada are imported from 45 countries around the world, with more than 60 percent of APIs coming from India and China.

“With increasing cost pressures on generic medicines, manufacturers have been forced to optimize their product portfolios, which is affecting the diversity of the medicines that can be produced and provided to Canadians,” Keon said. “To promote and sustain manufacturing in Canada, the generic pharmaceutical industry needs the right supports and incentives, as well as reduced barriers to market entry.”

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian generic pharmaceutical companies have overcome significant challenges to successfully avoid catastrophic prescription drug shortages. Governments and stakeholders must now take steps to strengthen the domestic industry and optimize how generic prescription medicines are supplied to Canadians.

Key recommendations in the EY Canada report include:

• Supports and long-term strategies to promote and incentivize onshore capabilities for importing and manufacturing prescription medicines to assure the sustainable supply of a breadth of generic medicines, and the economic benefits associated with a strengthened domestic industry.
• Better alignment with leading international regulatory bodies such as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
• Incentives that encourage companies to bring new generic medicines to Canadians, such as subsidies to address the high costs of domestic production and importing including workforce, operations, facilities and transportation.
• Tax and other incentives to support domestic manufacturing (for APIs, biosimilars and other pharmaceutical products). 
• The negotiation of multilateral trade agreements that promote the security of the generic pharmaceutical supply chain to ensure ongoing access to APIs, finished dose products and the elements necessary to support domestic production.
• Appropriate pricing and procurement strategies that balance support for domestic manufacturing with the need for a strong international supply chain. 
• The development of coordinated approaches and strategies to emergency drug planning, including support for a Critical Drug Reserve, and to further expand it by identifying a more comprehensive list of essential medicines to prepare for future public health emergencies. 

About the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association
The Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA) represents Canada’s generic pharmaceutical industry. The industry plays an important role in controlling health-care costs in Canada. Generic drugs are dispensed to fill nearly 74 percent of all prescriptions but account for account for less than 21 percent of the $34-billion Canadians spend annually on prescription medicines.

For more information, please contact:
Jeff Connell,
Vice President, Corporate Affairs
Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA)
Tel: (647) 274-3379
Email: jeff@canadiangenerics.ca

L’article New Study Calls for Action to Protect Canada’s Supply of Prescription Medicines est apparu en premier sur CGPA – Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association.

While CGPA is supportive of the proposed financial investments intended to strengthen Canada’s life sciences sector, this is only one element of what is needed to attract and sustain long-term investments. A comprehensive life sciences strategy that reflects the regulatory, market and other needs of the sector is needed to make Canada a more attractive and globally competitive place for investment to ensure a more robust and resilient domestic industry.

More attention and support must also be given to the challenges facing the generic medicines sector, which provides the vast majority of the medicines used every day to treat Canadians suffering from COVID-19 and so many other critical ailments.

In June 2020 CGPA released its Blueprint for a Sustainable Supply of Prescription Medicines for Canadians, which identifies measures to enhance Canada’s existing pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity and domestic capabilities, create a more resilient pharmaceutical supply chain, ensure Canada’s role within a well-functioning global supply chain, and encourage the establishment of a more coordinated approach to equipping Canada for future health emergencies.

The COVID-19 pandemic has served as a wake-up call for governments, health-care professionals and the broader public on the importance of having a robust and resilient domestic pharmaceutical industry. Ensuring a sustainable supply of prescription medicines for Canadians must be a priority for federal and provincial governments as they consider the economic and health policies that will guide Canada into the future.

CGPA and its member companies are committed to working with governments and other stakeholders to apply the lessons that we have learned from the pandemic to make the domestic industry and prescription drug supply chain even stronger and more secure for Canadians.

Generic prescription medicines are dispensed to fill more than 73 percent of all prescriptions in Canada but account for less than 20 percent of the $32-billion Canadians spend annually on prescription medicines. Compared with many countries that rely solely on importing their prescription medicines, Canada is fortunate to have extensive domestic generic pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity and capabilities. This is particularly important in times of health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.”

L’article CGPA Welcomes Life Sciences Investments in Federal Budget 2021,But A More Comprehensive Approach Is Needed est apparu en premier sur CGPA – Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association.

“Compared with many countries that rely solely on importing their prescription medicines, Canada is fortunate to have extensive domestic generic pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity and capabilities,” said Mr. Goulet. “With generic medicines dispensed to fill 73 percent of all prescriptions in Canada the security of the nation’s supply rests largely with the generic pharmaceutical industry.”

The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges and uncertainty for global supply chains in all industries, with border closures and export restrictions imposed by some countries, and significant reductions in global transportation capacity. Canada’s generic pharmaceutical industry was not immune from these challenges.

Through the extraordinary efforts of Canada’s generic pharmaceutical manufacturers, Canada has so far been able to avoid catastrophic shortages of medicines used in to treat COVID-19 patients and those dispensed in community pharmacies, upon which millions of Canadians rely.

As Canada remains highly dependant on international imports of generic pharmaceutical products, governments and industry need to apply the lessons being learned from the pandemic to ensure that the first priority is maintaining a stable and resilient supply of prescription medicines for Canadian patients.

“The pharmaceutical industry and supply chain are fully globalized. Regardless of where manufacturing occurs, ingredients and inputs are sourced internationally,” said Mr. Shelley. “It is, however, possible to strengthen Canada’s existing pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity, promote a well-functioning global supply chain, and adopt a coordinated approach to better equip Canada for future health emergencies.”

Jean-Guy Goulet joined Pharmascience in 2017 as Chief Operating Officer, and has led the generic medicines commercialization activities both in Canada and abroad, as well as all activities related to production, quality, R&D and supply chain management. His career in the industry began in 1987 at Technilab Pharma, a company later acquired by ratiopharm. Mr. Goulet held various positions at ratiopharm including President of its North American Commercial Division. In 2011, he joined Watson PLC, which became Actavis in 2012. He headed Actavis for both Canada and Latin America, until they acquired Allergan in April 2015. Shortly after, Mr. Goulet became President of Actavis Canada.

Ray Shelley is the Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations, Canada and Caribbean, at Apotex. Appointed in 2018, Mr. Shelley has accountability to develop and execute strategy for the Canadian and Caribbean region for the generic portfolio. Prior to this role, he served as Vice President, Sales for the Apotex generic business in Canada. A 25-year veteran of Apotex, Ray has held progressively senior positions in the company within Sales and Marketing since he joined the company in 1996.

L’article Jean-Guy Goulet of Pharmascience Elected Chair of Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA) est apparu en premier sur CGPA – Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association.

As part of the agreement – which includes federal government drug plans and all of Canada’s provinces and territories except Quebec – the prices of nearly 70 of the most commonly prescribed drugs in Canada were reduced by 25 to 40 percent effective April 1, 2018, resulting in overall discounts of up to 90 percent off the price of their brand-name equivalents.

“Canada’s generic pharmaceutical industry continues to make an essential contribution to affordable patient care in Canada,” said Jim Keon, President of the CGPA. “We are, however, growing concerned about the impact of years of price cuts on the sustainability of domestic manufacturing capacity, and the ongoing continuity of Canada’s supply of prescription medicines.”

Data released by the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) shows that, since 2007, the average price of generic prescription medicines in Canada has fallen by nearly 60 percent, with prices of some of the top-selling generics dropping by an average of 80 percent.

These massive price cuts have resulted in new cost structures for generic pharmaceutical manufacturers, which has led to more of Canada’s drug supply coming from lower-cost jurisdictions such as China and India.

“COVID-19 has been a wakeup call for governments, healthcare professionals and the public about Canada’s increasing reliance on imports,” Keon said. “Moving forward there must be a recognition that sustainable pricing levels are needed to maintain the continuity of supply for Canadians.”

With nearly three quarters of all prescriptions in Canada being filled with generic prescription medicines, Canada’s supply of prescription medicines rests largely with the generic pharmaceutical industry.

“Canadians have continued to have access to both their regular day-to-day medicines and the products needed to treat patients with COVID-19 during the pandemic as a result of the tireless efforts of generic pharmaceutical companies,” said Keon. “The pandemic has also exposed several areas where improvements can be made to help secure a sustainable supply of prescription medicines for Canadians.”

In June 2020, CGPA released its Blueprint for a Sustainable Supply of Prescription Medicines for Canadians that identifies measures to strengthen the domestic pharmaceutical industry and Canada’s place in the international supply chain to ensure Canadians have a secure and consistent supply of prescription medicines.

L’article Mid-Point Report Card: pan-Canadian Generics Initiative Has Delivered Close to $2-Billion in Savings est apparu en premier sur CGPA – Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association.