Brett Skinner, PhD | CEO CHPI, Editor CHPJ |
ABSTRACT –
This policy brief compares access to new drugs on the formularies of the public drug plans in 10 Canadian provinces according to the rates of coverage versus a cohort of available products approved by Health Canada; and wait times associated with listing these products on public formularies. Health Canada authorized 196 new active substances for marketing between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2023. The number of these drugs that were covered in any public drug program as of 31 December 2024, ranged from 22 (11 percent) in British Columbia, up to 52 (27 percent) in Ontario and Quebec. For the few drugs that were covered, the number of days from marketing authorization to formulary listing in any public drug plan ranged from 566 days in Alberta up to 816 days in Prince Edward Island.
Citation: Skinner, B. J. (2025). Access to new drugs on public formularies in 10 Canadian provinces 2019 to 2024. Canadian Health Policy, OCT 2025. canadianhealthpolicy.com