In 2022, the United States accounted for 42.6 per cent of pharmaceutical sales worldwide compared to 2 per cent for Canada.
canadian drug prices
Government policies and regulations have created an environment hostile to research and innovation.
Advanced clinical trials in Canada, which were consistent between 2015 and 2019, decreased by 26 per cent in 2020.
Forcing manufacturers of high-cost drugs to reduce their prices by up to 80 per cent is unsustainable.
If every U.S. prescription was filled in Canada, the annual Canadian drug supply would be exhausted in 52 days.
The latest federal budget revealed the Trudeau government’s plan to move forward on national pharmacare.
In January, GlaxoSmithKline, a global pharmaceutical manufacturer, announced that it would stop delivering its prescription drugs to wholesalers that supply Canadian mail order pharmacies that sell to American patients. These pharmacies, clustered in Manitoba, take advantage of the price difference between the two countries. Recently, AstraZeneca, an Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical manufacturer, indicated that it would take similar action. Glaxo has weathered a storm of accusations that it is preventing American patients from getting the companys medicines at affordable prices.