Health committee  Your question is in relation to the mandate and the work of the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to comment on what information is made available to the board when making their price determinations. As you may know, Mr. Davies, they sit at arm's length to the department.

Health committee  As I think I mentioned last time, the department published proposed regulations to modernize the PMPRB in the Canada Gazette, part I almost a year ago, in December 2017. The proposal hasn't been finalized. We continue to consider the results of that consultation and engage with stakeholders on key issues related to the proposal.

Health committee  I can speak a bit in terms of price. As you're likely aware, the only federal lever that is able to exert any authority over price of patented medicines in Canada is the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. I'm sure I answered a question related to the modernization effort from one of your colleagues when we were last here.

Health committee  The changes you're referring to are proposed amendments to the patented medicines regulations, which would modernize the way the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board looks at setting non-excessive prices for patented medicine. They were published in the Canada Gazette last December.

Health committee  Thanks very much for the question. As Cathy was mentioning, ultimate access for many Canadians relies on a drug being reimbursed through either their public drug plan or a private plan. That's why the alignment with the health technology assessment is so important. As you're likely aware, agencies such as the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health and the Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux in Quebec are the ones that do these health technology assessments and make recommendations, largely to public plans at this time, in order for Canadians to have reimbursement.