It's faster to fly a human around the moon than to get a new drug to Canadians
This spring, Canada made history when astronaut Jeremy Hansen became the first Canadian to fly around the moon in NASA’s Artemis II mission. It took nearly a decade of training, engineering and preparation to get there. It took only 10 days to complete the mission itself.
By contrast, it takes 10 to 15 years to get a new drug developed and approved for public use. But even after Health Canada gives the green light, Canadians have to wait an additional two to three years to get access. We have mastered orbiting the moon faster than getting a breakthrough cancer drug to patients.
That should stop us in our tracks.
Here’s what happens between a scientific breakthrough and a patient finally receiving a new treatment. Scientists typically spend four to six years exploring thousands of biological targets and conducting rigorous pre-clinical research to identify which compounds are safe and promising enough to test in people.
This is followed by six to eight years of clinical testing. Three phases of trials, each more complex and costly than the last, designed to determine that a therapy is safe and effective in humans. This is where the failure rate is the highest. By this point, a company has spent over a decade on research and upwards of $3.6 billion CAD in investment—with no guarantee of success.
Health Canada’s review takes on average 300 days, on par with other regulators around the world. But in Canada, approval doesn’t mean the drug is available to patients. It’s the starting point for that additional two-to-three year wait to determine drug valuation and pricing.
First, the manufacturer sets an initial price that is measured against international benchmarks. Then a cost-value analysis is conducted, often resulting in price recommendations so low they undermine the financial case for continuing to innovate and launch new medicines here in the first place.
Next, an independent body negotiates the price with manufacturers on behalf of the provinces and territories. Finally, each province and territory decides whether to publicly list the drug—sometimes reopening negotiations or opting not to list at all—creating wide inequities from coast to coast.
The result? Canada gets drugs at the lowest possible cost but consistently ranks last in the G7 for timely access to new medicines, with only 18 per cent of globally available medicines reaching public plans, compared with the OECD average of 28 per cent.
When medicines don’t arrive, some patients simply go without or end up with older, less effective treatments. Those who can, go abroad for treatment—a growing phenomenon known as “medical tourism.”
Every month a treatment sits in a queue is a month a patient waits. Every year of red tape is a life that might have been better, longer, or saved. Imagine if astronauts spent two to three years grounded after being cleared for launch—simply because of bureaucracy. Why do we accept it for patients?
This isn’t a story about bad intentions. It’s a story about a uniquely Canadian pattern, where caution breeds complexity, and red tape wins out over pragmatism. As global drug policies rapidly shift in the wake of the new U.S. most-favoured nation (MFN) drug pricing policy—designed to lower American prices by pushing other countries to pay more for pharmaceutical innovation—Canada risks being left even further behind.
We can do better.
Canadian researchers discovered stem cells in 1961, developed the lipid nanoparticle technology in the 1980s that helped later make mRNA vaccines for COVID possible, and pioneered the first Ebola vaccine in 2014. We have the scientific expertise, infrastructure, and talent to develop new medications; what we need is faster and broader access for Canadians.
On July 22, Canada’s premiers will gather in Charlottetown for their annual summer meeting. They have a defining opportunity to unite in calling on the federal government to cut red tape, modernize Canada’s innovation system, and speed up access to innovative medicines for all Canadians, from St. John’s to Victoria.
That call would carry real international weight. It would help Canada deliver on its recent G7 commitment to accelerate the fight against cancer by strengthening access to quality cancer care for all.
Canada’s historic participation in the Artemis II mission showed us what’s possible with sustained investment and political will. It’s time to bring that same ambition and resolve to innovative medicines.
The choice is in front of us. Let’s lead not lag—for the health of Canadians and for the future of our economy.
Dr. Bettina Hamelin is the President and CEO of Innovative Medicines Canada, the national association representing Canada’s innovative pharmaceutical industry.
Originally published online at: https://www.healthing.ca/opinion/opinion-its-faster-to-fly-a-human-around-the-moon-than-to-get-a-new-drug-to-canadians
The views expressed are those of the author(s). Canada Healthwatch publishes a range of perspectives and does not necessarily endorse the opinions presented.
