B.C. health minister says he expects Ottawa to protect Canadians from drug shortages

British Columbia’s health minister says potential exports of Canadian drugs to U.S. states would be a devastating blow — but he doesn’t believe it will come to that. In an interview airing Sunday on Rosemary Barton Live, Adrian Dix said a decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow Florida to import millions of dollars worth … Read more

French Pharma Firm Ordered to Pay Millions Over Deadly Diabetes Drug

PARIS —  A French appeals court on Wednesday ordered pharmaceutical firm Servier to pay more than $460 million in damages over a scandal involving a diabetes drug linked to hundreds of deaths. The health scandal came to light in 2007 when a doctor raised the alert on heart risks linked to Mediator, a drug destined … Read more

National pharmacare plan is in limbo as health minister calls pending deadline ‘arbitrary’

Health Minister Mark Holland signalled Tuesday the government is unlikely to meet the end-of-the-year deadline imposed by the NDP for passing pharmacare legislation — a condition of the supply-and-confidence agreement that was struck to keep the Liberals in power until 2025. Holland said talks are ongoing with NDP MP Don Davies, the party’s health critic, … Read more