On February 29, 2024, the federal government tabled Bill C-64, An Act respecting pharmacare (the Pharmacare Act). The Pharmacare Act outlines the “foundational principles” for the first phase of a national universal drug coverage plan in Canada. The legislation includes a commitment to first launch diabetes medication and contraceptives coverage for Canadians through a universal, … Continue reading
The Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) has held that in order to determine whether a patent claims an unpatentable method of medical treatment (MMT), it is necessary to determine whether the use of the invention requires the exercise of professional skill and judgment. In the case of pharmaceutical dosing claims, the determination cannot be based … Continue reading
On February 23, 2024, Health Canada published a Notice advising that it was making its review process for generic drug submissions more transparent. Specifically, for generic drug submissions accepted into review on or after April 1, 2024, Health Canada will start disclosing: (i) the year and month that the submission was accepted for review; and … Continue reading
The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB or Board) has released a “What We Learned” Report (the Report), marking the next step along the path to new Guidelines. The Report was prepared by Phoenix Strategic Perspectives Inc., which was commissioned to facilitate consultation with stakeholders and report on the presentations and discussions. Overview As we … Continue reading
The Federal Court (FC) has found the brand name of a biologic drug to be confusingly similar to the brand name of a drug used to treat the same disorder, but with a different active ingredient. The application of the ordinary test for trademark confusion was not affected by the fact that the names of … Continue reading
On January 26, 2024, Health Canada published a Notice concerning its application of the definition of Canadian Reference Product (CRP) in the Food and Drug Regulations (Regulations). The Notice advises that if an innovative drug is categorized as “Dormant” in Health Canada’s Drug Product Database, then a generic manufacturer can compare its drug against an … Continue reading
The Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) has held that the sale of a single dose of a patented multi-dose regimen does not provide an implied license to use the entire patented dosing regimen. As a result, it is possible to infringe a dosing regimen patent by combining a first dose sourced from the patentee with … Continue reading
The Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) held that it is abuse of process for a generic or biosimilar manufacturer to split its case across multiple notices of allegation (NOAs) under the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations (Regulations). Reversing the Federal Court (FC), the FCA found that the generic or biosimilar manufacturer should raise all … Continue reading
The Federal Court (FC) has refused to overturn a decision of the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB or Board) that found that a patent can pertain to a medicine based on “clinical similarities” to the invention—even if the patent does not actually encompass the medicine. The FC concluded that the Board’s decision was reasonable. Background This case … Continue reading
As you start the new year, allow us to recap 2023’s important legal and regulatory developments for Canadian pharma. We also flag what to watch out for in 2024. The most significant legal development in 2023 was the introduction of a system of patent term adjustment (PTA). On the regulatory front, seemingly all of Canada’s … Continue reading