HESA Committee Report

The Minister of Health in consultation with the provinces and territories, explore the possibility of the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health establishing a list of medicines supplied by only one or two companies and considered critical to medical care.

The Minister of Health, in consultation with provinces and territories, request that the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health provide clinical information on the use of therapeutic alternatives.

Health Canada consider expanding the regulatory requirement for manufacturers to inform them within 30 days of discontinuing the sale of a product in Canada, to require that manufacturers provide advance notification of six months for planned discontinuances.

The Minister of Health work with provincial and territorial counterparts to encourage Group Purchasing Organizations, drug plan operators or other holders of contractual agreements with pharmaceutical companies:

· to include obligations for the drug company to report disruptions on the drug shortages Web site, and

· to discourage single source strategies and to include requirements that suppliers have contingency plans in the event that they can no longer fill orders.

The Minister of Health encourage her provincial and territorial counterparts to initiate an examination of policies within their jurisdictions which affect drug pricing, including restrictions on generic pricing as well as tendering and contracting requirements, in order to determine the implications on drug supply.

The Public Health Agency of Canada develop a policy on the role of the National Emergency Stockpile System during shortages of essential medicines.

The Minister of Health continue to cooperate with the World Health Organization and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development to address the issue of drug shortages in order that the global causes of this problem and potential solutions can be examined.