Pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance Explained

The pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (PCPA, stylized as pCPA), previously the Pan-Canadian Pricing Alliance and the Generic Value Price Initiative^[1] is an alliance between the provinces and territories of Canada to combine their bargaining power to negotiate lower prices on pharmaceutical drugs.^{[2] [3]}

History

Support for inter-provincial coordination on price negotiations for pharmaceuticals began in August 2010 after a meeting of provincial premiers.^[4] The pCPA initially comprised nine provinces and Yukon, with Quebec joining in 2014.^[2] As of 2023, all provinces and territories are members of the Alliance.^[4]

The pCPA conducted negotiations for prices on ten drugs in its first three years, including for eculizumab, and estimated it had saved approximately $50,000,000.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Book: A. Scott Carson. Kim Richard Nossal. Jeffrey A. Dixon. Toward a Healthcare Strategy for Canadians. 2015. School of Policy Studies, Queen's University. 978-1-55339-439-6. 40.
2. Book: Joel Lexchin. Private Profits versus Public Policy: The Pharmaceutical Industry and the Canadian State. 27 October 2016. University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division. 978-1-4426-1961-6. 181.
3. News: Why speed is key to securing COVID-19 vaccines . Madeleine . Cummings . September 3, 2020 . CBC News.
4. Husereau. Don. Dempster. William. Blanchard. Adrienne. Chambers. Johanne. Evolution of Drug Reimbursement in Canada: The Pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance for New Drugs. Value in Health. 17. 8. 2014. 888–894. 10983015. 10.1016/j.jval.2014.08.2673. free.