Pharmaceutical Task Force: Q&A
Q: Why was the Pharmaceutical Task Force established?
A: The Minister of Health Services, George Abbott, established The Pharmaceutical Task Force in November 2007. The mandate of the Pharmaceutical Task Force was to provide recommendations related to pharmaceutical management to Government in five areas:
- Optimize pharmaceutical decision-making.
- Maximize value of pharmaceuticals for patients and government.
- Identify common objectives related to patient care and choice and build positive relations between government and industry.
- Reassess the effectiveness of the Common Drug Review.
- Review the effectiveness, transparency and future role of the Therapeutics Initiative.
A: The Task Force included representatives from: the pharmaceutical industry, medical device and retail pharmacy communities, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC, CEO of the BC Medical Association and individuals from the Ministry of Health. They met on nine occasions from December of 2007 through to late February of 2008.
Q: Were members of the public involved in this review?
A: No. However, members of the public were permitted to present submissions to the Pharmaceutical Task Force Review Team. The Better Pharmacare Coalition was invited and presented its views on the importance of reforming BC’s drug review system in order to better serve the needs of British Columbians.
Q: What information and materials did the Pharmaceutical Task Force look at to make their recommendations?
A: The Pharmaceutical Task Force received submissions and met with a range of stakeholders, including: the BC Pharmacists Association, the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association, the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores, Rx&D, the Better Pharmacare Coalition, the Canadian Diabetes Association, and others.
Q: What recommendations came out of the Pharmaceutical Task Force?
A: The Pharmaceutical Task Force made twelve recommendations to the Minister of Health Services. Please click here to view a copy of the full Pharmaceutical Task Force Report.
Recommendations include the following:
- Improve drug review and drug listing – new timelines for drug review, inclusion of public and patient members in drug review decision-making.
- Improve drug acquisition – lower generic drug prices, new compensation for pharmacy dispensing fees, and an enhanced role for pharmacists in dispensing drugs.
- Improve relationships with stakeholders – annual accountability meeting with a variety of stakeholders including: industry, patient groups and others.
- Improve Common Drug Review process – reduce overlap in drug review process between the Common Drug Review and the provincial drug review bodies.
- Replace the Therapeutics Initiative.
A: The consultation process that has occurred to date since the release of the Pharmaceutical Task Force recommendations has been marked by open, transparent dialogue among stakeholder groups and between stakeholders and the Task Force implementation team. This process has moved forward positively and constructively to a point today where a majority of health stakeholders in BC are aligned and are reaching consensus on key issues around the reform of BC PharmaCare.
Over the past 12 months, Government has worked with stakeholder groups – like the Better Pharmacare Coalition – to ensure that the views, needs and priorities of those most affected by pharmaceutical management issues in the province are fully considered in the development of a reformed BC PharmaCare review process.
However, Government has not acted on several of the recommendations or is still developing policy for other recommendations but has not begun implementation. BC voters have given the BC Government a new mandate. Now is the time for the Government to make improving the BC drug policy and ensuring the full implementation of the Pharmaceutical Task Force recommendation top priorities.
For a full listing on the implementation progress of the Pharmaceutical Task Force Recommendations, see the Better Pharmacare Coalition’s performance-measurement tracking tool.