Blogger's Note: the current federal (conservative) government is known widely for its lack of transparency (past and present), Health Canada, obviously, falls within federal mandates
Harmony in drug regulation, but who's call... [Int J Health Serv. 2012] - PubMed - NCBI
Int J Health Serv. 2012;42(1):119-36.
Source
School of Health Policy and Management, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada. jlexchin@yorku.ca
Abstract
Harmonizing
standards on drug regulation makes sense, but it must protect safety,
ensure that only drugs that are truly effective are marketed, and
protect a country's ability to act independently. The main driving force
behind international harmonization is the International Conference on
Harmonization (ICH). When it comes to safety, the ICH has been
harmonizing to the lowest common denominator. Examples of harmonization
indicate that industry priorities have influenced the direction that
Health Canada has taken. Harmonization is also intimately tied in with
the policy of smart regulation, changing regulations in a way that
enhances the climate for investment. Canada has introduced user fees in
concert with other countries, but there are concerns that these may
compromise safety standards. When it comes to transparency, Health
Canada has chosen to adopt the more restrictive European Union model
rather than the more open process used by the United States. Finally,
there are a number of areas in which Health Canada has chosen not to
harmonize, and in each case the decision is in the direction of lower
safety standards. Harmonization could be of benefit to Canada, but the
evidence to date suggests that Health Canada been harmonizing down
rather than up.
