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e-2649 (Health)
E-petition
Initiated by Mary Colleen Fuller from Vancouver, British Columbia
Original language of petition: English
Petition to the Government of Canada
Whereas:
- Canadians need access to safe, effective and affordable prescription drugs and vaccines; drugs can’t work if people can’t afford to pay for them;
- The number of patented medicines that cost Canadians over $10,000 each per year has more than tripled since 2006 and accounted for over 40% of patented medicine sales in 2017, an upward trend that is expected to continue;
- Compared to 11 other countries, Canadians have the second highest rate of not filling prescriptions or skipping doses due to high costs;
- The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) will soon enact new regulations and guidelines to strengthen its ability to control the price of new vaccines and medicines;
- In response, the pharmaceutical industry, with the support of groups they fund, threatens to deny Canadians access to new lifesaving drugs and greatly reduce the number of clinical trials in Canada;
- The industry has a long history of using vulnerable patients to force governments to back away from changes that serve a broader public interest;
- The new regulations will increase transparency about how the industry sets prices, enabling the PMPRB to obtain a true and complete picture of patented medicine prices in Canada; and
- A stronger price review system will enable a National Pharmacare program supported by 88% of Canadians.
We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:
1. Enact reforms to the Patented Medicines Regulations adopted in August 2019 as soon as possible;
2. Sever the financial links between the drug industry and patient advocacy groups;
3. Maintain its commitment to strengthen the PMPRB;
4. Move quickly to institute universal Pharmacare.
