On March 6, 2025, the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) announced that Thomas Digby stepped down from his role as Chairperson of the PMPRB. Vice-Chairperson Anie Perrault is now serving as acting Chairperson until the Governor in Council announces a permanent replacement.
On February 25, 2025, the PMPRB also published its latest expenditure report on private drug plan costs and utilization: Private Drug Plans in Canada: Expenditure Report, 2018–2023. Highlights from the report include:
- Higher-cost medicines ($10,000 or more) drove a 14.1% growth in private plan drug costs in 2023 and
- Private insurance now accounts for an estimated 38% of prescribed drug spending ($15.8 billion).
Separately, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) reported on March 11, 2025, that public drug program spending in Canada reached $18.4 billion in 2023, representing a 6.7% increase from 2022. According to the CIHI, individuals requiring high-cost drugs ($10,000 or more) comprise 45.3% of public drug spending overall, and drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes are the largest contributors to spending growth. Notably, the majority of this growth was attributed to rising demand for and spending on OZEMPIC (semaglutide), which reached $662 million in 2023 (up from $434 million in 2022).
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Life Sciences Regulatory & Compliance Group.
The preceding is intended as a timely update on Canadian intellectual property and technology law. The content is informational only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. To obtain such advice, please communicate with our offices directly.
