Canada is an attractive market for pharmaceutical manufacturers. While universal healthcare does not currently extend to drugs in an outpatient setting, most Canadian consumers have some form of drug coverage through...more
The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) has advised that the new Guidelines will not be implemented on January 1, 2023, and that the Interim Guidance issued by the Board on August 18, 2022 will remain in place until...more
On December 5, 2022, the Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) dismissed Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC) and sixteen innovative pharmaceutical companies’ appeal regarding the validity of the amended basket of comparator countries...more
On October 6, 2022, the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) released its revised draft Guidelines to give effect to the July 1, 2022 amendments to the Patented Medicines Regulations. Submissions are due by December...more
The amended PMPRB regulations came into force on July 1, 2022, and at that time an interim approach to pricing was proposed.
The interim approach proposed a “status quo” to pricing until Guidelines could be established...more
As previously announced, the amended Patented Medicines Regulations will be coming into force on July 1, 2022 in substantially revised form. As we previously reported, the new basket of countries for Patented Medicine Prices...more
7/5/2022
/ Amended Regulation ,
Canada ,
Comment Period ,
Drug Pricing ,
New Regulations ,
Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) ,
Patented Medicines ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Public Comment ,
Reporting Requirements
On April 14, 2022, the Minister of Health announced that the amendments to the Patented Medicines Regulations (the “Regulations”), originally released on August 18, 2019, would come into force on July 1, 2022 in a...more
On February 18, 2022, the Court of Appeal of Quebec released its decision in Merck Canada Inc c Procureur général du Canada (2022 QCCA 240). This is the appeal of the Quebec Superior Court decision declaring price and revenue...more
The coming into force date of the amended Patented Medicines Regulations governing the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) has been deferred for the fourth time, now until July 1, 2022. The news was announced on...more
Update: The coming into force date of the amended Patented Medicines Regulations governing the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) has been deferred, once again, until July 1, 2022. Read more on the statement from...more
In the first appellate decision relating to Certificates of Supplementary Protection (CSPs), the Federal Court of Appeal has allowed the appeal of the Minister of Health (the Minister), setting aside the lower court...more
4/29/2021
/ Appeals ,
Canada ,
Certificates of Supplementary Protection (CSPs) ,
CETA ,
Health Canada ,
Minister of Health ,
Patent Act ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Standard of Review
Update: See our January 26, 2021 article, which links to the Canada Gazette copy of the further amendments and discusses proposed consequential modifications to the Guidelines definition of “gap medicine” and compliance...more
Update: The decision has been appealed.
On December 18, 2020, the Quebec Superior Court issued its decision from a constitutional challenge to the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) provisions of the Patent Act...more
12/23/2020
/ Amended Regulation ,
Canada ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Drug Pricing ,
Health Canada ,
Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) ,
Patented Medicines ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Rebates ,
Reporting Requirements
Update: On November 23, Innovative Medicines Canada and a number of pharmaceutical companies commenced an application for judicial review of the final Guidelines. See also the PMPRB’s November 20, 2020 webinar slides here....more
11/5/2020
/ Canada ,
Drug Pricing ,
Health Canada ,
Life Sciences ,
Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) ,
Patented Medicines ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Rebates ,
Vaccinations
UPDATE: See our article here highlighting changes relative to the June 2020 draft Guidelines.
This morning, the PMPRB released the final Guidelines operationalizing the amended Patented Medicines Regulations (Amended...more
UPDATE: On January 13, 2021, the Minister of Health refused the application on reconsideration. Viiv sought but later discontinued a second application for judicial review (T-258-21).
In a decision dated July 10, 2020,...more
The PMPRB has extended the deadline for comments on the revised draft Guidelines to August 4, 2020. ...more
UPDATE: See July 15, 2020 article here describing the decision in more detail. On September 10, 2020, the applicants (Innovative Medicines Canada and the company applicants) appealed Justice Manson’s decision (A-215-20). On...more
Update: See our article here regarding the final October 2020 Guidelines. On November 23, Innovative Medicines Canada and a number of pharmaceutical companies commenced an application for judicial review of the final...more
UPDATE: See June 23, 2020 article here describing the notable changes. See our article here regarding the final October 2020 Guidelines. On November 23, Innovative Medicines Canada and a number of research-based...more
Update: See December 30, 2020 and January 26, 2021 articles discussing the further amendments which defer the coming into force date of the Amended Regulations until July 1, 2021.
Further to our June 1, 2020 update,...more
6/12/2020
/ Amended Regulation ,
Canada ,
Drug Pricing ,
Health Canada ,
New Amendments ,
Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) ,
Patented Medicines ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Reporting Requirements
Update: See our June 10, 2020 article here describing the amendments extending the deadline, and our articles here and here regarding the amendments further deferring the coming into force date until July 1, 2021, and our...more
The first decision considering the scope and meaning of the provisions in the Patent Act relating to Certificates of Supplementary Protection (CSPs) has now been released. Justice Barnes of the Federal Court in...more
5/14/2020
/ Canada ,
Certificates of Supplementary Protection (CSPs) ,
CETA ,
EU ,
GlaxoSmithKline ,
Health Canada ,
Patent Act ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patented Medicines ,
Patents ,
Vaccinations
On November 21, 2019, the Patented Medicines Prices Review Board (“PMPRB”) released draft new Guidelines for consultation, together with a backgrounder. The new Guidelines are intended to operationalize the amended Patented...more
11/25/2019
/ Amended Regulation ,
Canada ,
Draft Guidance ,
Drug Approvals ,
Drug Pricing ,
Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) ,
Patented Medicines ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Public Comment
September 21, 2019 marked the second anniversary of the certificate of supplementary protection (CSP) regime in Canada. CSPs provide an additional term of patent-like protection of up to two years. In our first anniversary...more