Canada’s Drug Agency/L’Agence des médicaments du Canada (CDA-AMC) recently launched a strategy to advance the appropriate use of prescription drugs and related products in Canada. According to the CDA-AMC, 1.9 million Canadian seniors regularly use at least 1 potentially inappropriate medication and more than 20% of Canadians aged 40 to 79 years take 5 or more prescription drugs. The CDA-AMC’s strategy sets out strategic priorities and related actions to increase appropriate use over the next 5 years.

How the strategy was developed

From September 2024 to May 2025, the CDA-AMC’s Appropriate Use Advisory Committee met to refine elements of an earlier report, address additional elements proposed by CDA-AMC, and consult with a range of interested parties. On September 18, 2025, the CDA-AMC published the Committee’s pan-Canadian strategy (Appropriate Use Strategy).

The Appropriate Use Strategy is part of a broader mandate for the CDA-AMC under sections 8 to 10 of the Pharmacare Act (our report here). In addition to establishing an Appropriate Use Strategy, this broader mandate also includes preparing a list of essential prescription drugs and developing a national bulk purchasing strategy (our reports here and here).

What is appropriate use?

The Appropriate Use Strategy defines appropriate and inappropriate use as follows:

  • appropriate use is “when patients, caregivers, and health care professionals work together to choose safe and effective medications most suited for that person’s needs and goals to achieve best health outcomes”; and 
  • inappropriate use is overuse, underuse, and other uses of medication “that do not adequately address the care and priorities of the person.”

The Appropriate Use Strategy sets out the CDA-AMC’s aspirations, including fewer people being harmed by inappropriate medication use, health care providers (HCPs) knowing what resources are available to them, and existing appropriate use organizations better coordinating their efforts.

Strategic priorities and actions

The Appropriate Use Strategy sets out 4 strategic priorities to advance over the next 5 years:  

  • Partnerships and Program Development (Develop, enhance, and implement appropriate use initiatives with partners across Canada): Planned actions include championing appropriate use curricula in clinical education programs (including continuing professional development) and extending the reach and impact of successful appropriate use projects.
  • Connect (Link partners, enhance connections, and provide comprehensive information): Planned actions include creating an online resource hub to share resources with patients, caregivers, HCPs, and others, as well as co-designing projects with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis partners.
  • Strategy and Policy (Develop evidence-informed advice for decision-makers): Planned actions include providing decision-makers with information about lesser-known and/or important appropriate use topics as well as updating the Appropriate Use Strategy in the future.
  • Evaluation and Reporting (Evaluate projects and clearly communicate their effectiveness): Planned actions include promoting increased development, measurement, and reporting of appropriate use indicators, as well as measuring and reporting on progress made against delivering the Appropriate Use Strategy.

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