Moon trip quicker than new drugs for Canadians

Canadians are waiting longer for new medicines than astronauts spend flying around the moon. This spring, astronaut Jeremy Hansen became the first Canadian to complete a lunar flyby during NASA’s Artemis II mission. The training and preparation took nearly a decade, but the flight itself was completed in just 10 days. That rapid execution stands in stark contrast to the time it takes to bring a new drug to market in Canada, which can take 10 to 15 years from discovery to patient access.

The long road to approval

Developing a new drug is a grueling process. Scientists typically spend four to six years identifying biological targets and conducting pre-clinical research to find safe compounds. This is followed by six to eight years of clinical testing across three phases. By the end of this phase, companies have often invested over a decade and $3.6 billion CAD with no guarantee of success. Health Canada’s review process averages 300 days, but approval is only the beginning of the delay.

Once Health Canada clears a medication, the wait for patients continues. The approval marks the start of a two- to three-year period to determine valuation and pricing. Manufacturers set an initial price against international benchmarks, which often results in recommendations so low they undermine the financial case for launching the drug in Canada. An independent body then negotiates with manufacturers on behalf of provinces and territories. Each province decides whether to publicly list the drug, sometimes reopening negotiations or opting not to list it at all. This fragmented process creates wide inequities from coast to coast.

This bureaucratic maze is the reason Canada consistently ranks last in the G7 for timely access to new medicines. Only 18 percent of globally available medicines reach Canadian public plans, compared to the OECD average of 28 percent. When treatments are delayed, patients often go without or are forced to seek care abroad in a growing phenomenon known as “medical tourism.” Canada has the tools to address these gaps, yet progress remains slow.

Modernizing the system

The current system relies on a uniquely Canadian pattern where caution breeds complexity and red tape often wins over pragmatism. As global drug policies shift, particularly with the United States introducing a most-favoured nation pricing policy designed to lower American prices, Canada risks falling further behind. Canadian researchers have historically led major scientific breakthroughs, including the discovery of stem cells in 1961 and the development of the lipid nanoparticle technology used in COVID-19 vaccines. The country possesses the scientific expertise and infrastructure to develop new medications, but the infrastructure for access is struggling to keep pace.

Canada’s scientific community has demonstrated what is possible when sustained investment and political will align. The historic success of the Artemis II mission serves as a tangible example of this capability. The country’s premiers are scheduled to meet in Charlottetown on July 22, offering a defining opportunity to unite in calling for the federal government to cut red tape and modernize the innovation system. Strengthening access to quality cancer care is a recent G7 commitment that could be fulfilled by streamlining these processes. Canada has the potential to lead not lag, but only if the political will matches the scientific ambition.