On May 21, 2008, British Columbia's Health Minister, George Abbott, announced that the provincial government has accepted all of the recommendations from the Pharmaceutical Task Force. The nine-member task force had been established in November 2007 to advise the government on key areas of provincial pharmaceutical policy. (See Drug Pricing & Reimbursement @ Gowlings, Vol. 1, No. 19, available at http://www.gowlings.com/resources/enewsletters/DrugPricingReimbursement/ Htmfiles/V1N19_20071130.en.html)

The Pharmaceutical Task Force was chaired by Don Avison, President of the University Presidents' Council and a former Deputy Minister of Health in B.C. Its mandate was to make recommendations in these areas: optimization of the decision making process for the listing of pharmaceuticals and devices; procurement and service delivery options; identifying and strengthening common objectives related to patient care and choice and building positive relations between decision makers and industry; the effectiveness of the Common Drug Review (CDR) process; and the role of the Therapeutics Initiative. The Task Force received submissions from, and in most cases met directly with, major stakeholders in the province.

The Task Force made 12 specific recommendations. The key elements may be summarized as follows:

  • Priority should be given to developing an enhanced formulary management system with improved stakeholder engagement and appeal mechanisms;

  • The ministry should establish new target guidelines to improve time-to-listing decisions;

  • The Drug Benefit Committee should be reconstituted as a Drug Benefit Council and its membership should be modified to include at least three public members;

  • With respect to generic drugs, the ministry should negotiate or establish new pricing and reimbursement arrangements and increased competition;

  • The ministry should be cautious in increasing the use of tendering processes and ensure that they provide reasonable levels of patient choice;

  • With respect to the Common Drug Review, B.C.'s decision making process should include similar timelines and a greater level of openness and transparency; and

  • The government should establish a new Drug Review Resource Committee to carry out drug submission reviews currently performed by the Therapeutics Initiative (TI).

The TI is a government-funded program delivered through the University of British Columbia. The Task Force stated it is "now widely regarded as being in need of either substantial revitalization or replacement. The Task Force regards replacement as the better option." If the TI is continued, the task force recommends it be reformed and its function should be focused on therapeutic evaluation.

In accepting the Task Force's recommendations, the government stated that its proposals are aimed at creating a more streamlined and transparent drug review process while delivering the best patient outcomes and best value to the citizens of the province.

For a copy of the Report of the Pharmaceutical Task Force, please visit:
http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/library/publications/year/2008/PharmaceuticalTaskForceReport.pdf

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