Astellas Pharma Canada has launched a BC campaign to build public awareness of their new incontinence treatments. Although both drugs are approved for sale in the country, currently neither has the approval for subsidy by BC’s Pharmacare. Rather than reaching out to the government via direct lobbying, Astellas is trying another solution and has launched a nationwide incontinence awareness campaign, “It’s Urgent” While every drug that’s approved in Canada can be sold in Canadian pharmacies, what the average consumer does not know is that not all pharmaceuticals are equally subsidized. Because Canadian health care is the responsibility of the province,.. READ MORE »
September 30, 2013
After the World Health Report launch for 2013, the WHO is calling on countries to improve their investment in local research to help develop better universal health coverage plans. Even in countries that prefer a more privatized system than Canada, governments have a strong role to play in making sure that health standards are maintained. There are many reasons for this. For example making sure that everyone eligible in a population receives vaccinations to childhood illnesses provides “herd immunity” meaning that if a disease is introduced into the population (for example, from a country that does not have the presence.. READ MORE »
September 29, 2013
China announces it is deepening its ongoing fraud investigation into the pharmaceutical industry. The probe seeks to make the Chinese market more competitive, removing corruption from the system to ensure that China’s standards for pharmaceuticals match the rest of the developed world. Although revelations of bribery and regulation evasion sound like a PR nightmare, in practice, it is part of the necessary growing pains to encourage more companies to invest in the country. While many major pharmaceutical companies have offices in the world’s most populous nation, including Eli Lily, Astra Zenca and Pfizer, and have had established footholds for decades,.. READ MORE »
September 28, 2013
The international pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, has announced a plan to break its entire structure into three segments, two focused on their Innovative line and one on their Value line. Pfizer employs nearly 3,000 Canadians in six locations across the country, and was ranked one of Canada’s top 100 employers for 2012 in a Globe and Mail survey. With products ranging from Celebrex to Chapstick, Pfizer has decided that the split will allow it the flexibility to function as three separate business entities. This is expected to come into effect in 2014, starting with countries that do not require prior union.. READ MORE »
September 7, 2013
In this year’s “Report Card on Cancer in Canada”, the Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada praises the progress of cancer research, but asks that Canadians be given better access to these lifesaving treatments, as well as more emphasis on preventative techniques. In the fight against cancer, successfully targeting the disease means acknowledging that cancer is not a single external problem, but the result of numerous internally manufactured accidents in the cancer patient. Some are facilitated by contaminants like smoking, but today’s smart cancer treatments are tailored to figuring out and targeting the kind of cancer that has affected the patient… READ MORE »
August 20, 2013
For the pharmaceutical industry, small, lean and agile research firms are the growing trend. Research in the life sciences, as in the cutting edge of any field in Canada, follows a complicated path of private and government investment that mixes for-profit companies with public universities. In this trend, while the big players in the pharmaceutical industry continue to help steer the development of new drugs by providing a large amount of the capital and guidance for the emerging technology, the actual muscle behind the laboratory and clinical research is coming from independent labs with less than 100 people, which makes.. READ MORE »
August 15, 2013
The Fraser Institute, a leading Canadian public policy think tank, has joined the chorus of voices asking to extend the life of Canadian pharmaceutical patents. Their report, released this month, suggests that trade with the US and Europe would be streamlined by making the Canadian system more in unity with the two other markets. At the moment, Canada has some of the shortest patent lifespans for a developed country. Discussion on the subject is divided over whether this encourages more internal clinical research and treatment development, or less. Critics of short patent length say it makes the entire sector lose.. READ MORE »
August 10, 2013
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine) jobs are generally considered to be a vital part of the economy, and one of the hottest sectors for employment and education investment. As an added bonus, STEM offers a unique chance for female researchers and inventors to be on the cutting edge of this century’s new discoveries. Biological and life sciences are experiencing a global boom. From newer and better life extending and improving treatments and technologies, to expanding the understanding of the human body and its potential, medical technology that was science fiction a decade ago is taken for granted. Discoveries in.. READ MORE »
August 7, 2013
Last month, My MedRec went global. If you’re not familiar with the app, My MedRec is a free system designed on behalf of pharmaceutical industry representative association Rx&D. The iPhone friendly system helps users track their medications, including dosage, timing and drug information. Additionally it creates an easily shareable data that can be sent to doctors, nurses and pharmacists, ensuring seamless medical care. The app makes a lot of sense in the face of the fact that Canadians are the leading smart phone adopters in the world. As well as having some sort of smart phone in their pocket, most.. READ MORE »
July 12, 2013
As of October, with the inclusion of New Brunswick, every Canadian province will have a catastrophic drug plan in place. These last resort measures protect families from medical bankruptcy and losing access to life saving treatments. There are slight variations in plans, but New Brunswick is adopting a model with no ceiling on spending for assistance. To qualify, candidates must simply exceed a certain percent of family income in drug spending. For the poorest families, this is 3% and for the wealthiest, payments in excess of 12%, assuring universal coverage for those in need, regardless of their backgrounds. This follows.. READ MORE »
July 4, 2013
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