Bridging the Gap: How Patient Advocacy is Shaping Access to Medications in Canada

by Cheryl Petruk, MBA

Access to medications in Canada remains a pressing concern for many patients—especially those with rare, chronic, or life-threatening illnesses. While Canada’s publicly funded healthcare system is celebrated globally, the reality is more complex. Delays in drug approvals, inconsistent provincial formularies, and affordability challenges create barriers that leave patients waiting— and sometimes suffering—while the system navigates red tape. In this landscape, patient advocacy is not just helpful—it is essential.

Understanding the Canadian Drug Access Landscape

Canada has a unique, multi-layered process for bringing medications to market. Once a drug is approved by Health Canada, it undergoes a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) process—primarily conducted by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CDA/CADTH) or INESSS in Quebec—to evaluate the cost-effectiveness and therapeutic value. This recommendation then informs negotiations with the Pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA), which aims to secure pricing agreements with manufacturers. Only after these steps can provinces and territories choose to include the medication in theirpublicdrugplans.

This lengthy process often means patients must wait months—or even years—for publicly funded access to medications already approved in other countries. For patients with progressive or lifethreatening illnesses, these delays can mean deteriorating health, missed treatment windows, ordeath.

Furthermore, once a medication is approved, provincial coverage varies. A cancer patient in Alberta might have access to a drug that a patient in Nova Scotia does not. This "postal code lottery" canbedevastatingandinequitable.