In a little over two decades, Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs) have helped patients gain access to medications they otherwise could not obtain or afford. These programs were initiated and paid for by the specialty biologics of the time, which led to the creation of the “Specialty Providers”.

Developed with the Strategic Pathways approach, this recent report (December 2012), features a detailed look at British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec’s breakdown of patients, money-flow and current therapeutic strategies in Oncology.

Pangaea director Joe Knott is a cabinet member for the Campaign For All Canadians, dedicated to working with Canada’s pharma community to raise money for the bank, both through its own donations, but through building continued awareness and developing fundraising campaings from within the industry.

We’ve all heard of or participated in the development of an excellent strategic plan that has gone no further than the shelf to gather dust. In 1999, Fortune Magazine, published the article “Why CEOs Fail,” which stated that “70% of all strategies fail to achieve their desired results and 30% fail to achieve anything at all.” Things don’t seem to have changed much. Why is that? Read on to learn more…

How are Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs) being deployed, utilized and trained in Canada?

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Today, payers (public and private) are looking at ways to best manage drug spend. Biologics currently represent less than 20% of drug spending, but, with more than 300 biotechnology products in late stage developments, biologic drug spending is forecast to represent one third of total drug expenditures. With many patents expired or expiring for the top 15 biologics (by dollar volume) in Canada, the introduction of Subsequent Entry Biologics (SEBs) may be one way to reign in the burgeoning biotechnology drug costs. With different regulatory governance and requirements surrounding biologics, the potential pathways to savings for biologics that currently exist for small molecules may not be applicable and will need to change.

As companies continue to evolve, expand into new markets, and manufacture more complex molecules, it will be key for operations to have a more integrated relationship with the commercial group. Now, more than ever, it is crucial that members of the executive suite start to strategically explore distribution options for their company’s future pipeline requirements.

With their individual experienced combined, the Pangaea team has successfully launched over 120 products in Canada.

Alberta, the first to implement expanded scope for pharmacy, finally announced its funding model effective July 2012. Regardless of how one views pharmacist prescribing and/or expanded scope, delivery of healthcare in the future will require expanded scope practice by pharmacists and other HCPs such as nurse practitioners and physicians assistants.

Both Ontario and Québec are “catching up” to the rest of Canada with respect to the expanded scope of pharmacy practice. Work is underway in Ontario with the new registrar, Marshall Moleschi from British Columbia, and in Québec with new legislation on pharmacy practice just adopted. It is clear that the pace of change in pharmacy will persist through 2012.