Canada’s pharmaceutical strategy needs the entire supply chain
Amid growing pressures on global pharmaceutical supply chains, the Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Task Force delivered an important roadmap last week. The report's focus on regulatory modernization and reimbursement reform will make Canada more attractive to innovation and drive faster access for patients from coast to coast.
The challenge now is implementation. While the task force focused largely on innovative drug manufacturers, implementation cannot. Pharmaceutical sovereignty does not end when a medicine leaves the production line. It ends when that medicine reaches a patient.
Canada's pharmaceutical ecosystem relies on manufacturers—both brand and generic—distributors, pharmacies, service providers, regulators, and payers working together to ensure Canadians have reliable access to medicines. Medicine does not move directly from a laboratory or production line into a patient’s hands. It must be authorized, ordered, transported, stored under tightly controlled conditions, allocated, reimbursed, and delivered to pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, and other points of care. If Canada is serious about pharmaceutical sovereignty and supply chain resilience, it must adopt a whole-of-sector approach.
A medicine does not help a patient simply because it was made in Canada. True supply resilience is measured by whether patients can get the medicines they need, when and where they need them. It requires efficient distribution networks, flexible reimbursement policies, diversified sources of supply, and the ability to respond quickly when disruptions occur.
That is why the next phase of this work must include a broader range of voices.
As the federal government establishes implementation teams to advance the task force's recommendations, it should ensure representation from across the pharmaceutical sector—not only innovative manufacturers, but also generic manufacturers, pharmaceutical distributors, service providers, pharmacies, and other supply chain stakeholders. These organizations bring practical expertise on how medicines move through the healthcare system, where vulnerabilities exist, and what policy changes will have the greatest impact on supply stability and patient access.
Canada imports approximately 70 per cent of the medicines Canadians rely on, yet accounts for just two per cent of the global pharmaceutical market, leaving it exposed to decisions made beyond its borders—decisions that can affect whether patients can access the medicines they need. Trade tensions, imminent tariffs, global supply disruptions, and growing competition for investment are increasing pressure on pharmaceutical supply chains around the world.
The global pharmaceutical landscape is changing rapidly, and inaction carries real consequences. We cannot allow the task force's recommendations to become another report that gathers dust while patients continue to face barriers accessing the medicines they need. Without the active involvement of the entire pharmaceutical ecosystem in implementation, that is exactly what we risk.
Lasting change will require co-ordinated action across manufacturers, distributors, service providers, pharmacies, payers, and governments to ensure policy recommendations translate into better access, stronger supply resilience, and improved patient outcomes.
The task force has provided a roadmap. Success now depends on ensuring implementation reflects the full journey from production to patients—who rightly will judge the strategy’s success by whether their medicines reach them.
Angelique Berg is the president and CEO of Vital, the alliance representing Canada's pharmaceutical supply chain. Vital brings together pharmaceutical distributors, manufacturers, and service providers, aiming to build a more resilient, efficient, and future-ready supply chain for Canada, ensuring reliable access to medications.
The Hill Times