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Arthritis Society statement on progress for national pharmacare plan

Trish Barbato 
President and CEO, Arthritis Society 

As the voice of the six million Canadians living with arthritis, the Arthritis Society is pleased to hear a Canada Pharmacare Act will be passed by the end of next year. We have long supported the call for a national pharmacare plan. 

We want to again impress upon government the importance of ensuring that patient-centred principles guide the development, implementation and delivery of a national pharmacare program. At its core, the program should strive to improve health outcomes for all people in Canada. It should based on: 

  • Equity 

  • Timeliness of access 

  • Appropriateness of therapy 

  • Affordability 

  • Sustainability 

  • Patient partnerships 

The design and implementation of a national pharmacare program should be developed and monitored in partnership with patients to ensure the right medicine gets to the right patient at the right time in a cost-effective manner. 

The passage of this act would mean the development of a national formulary of essential medicines and a bulk purchasing plan. We want to ensure that a range of medication options are included in a national formulary and that it is not a static list as the medicines deemed essential to treat many conditions are often-changing as we research and innovate.  

We look forward to the passage of this historic legislation and welcome the opportunity to work with government to ensure the needs of patients are at the forefront. 

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