Building Better Pharma Policy in Canada
by Brett J Skinner

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What if Canada’s pharmaceutical policies are doing more harm than good—sacrificing patient access and innovation in the name of cost control? In Building Better Pharma Policy in Canada, Brett J Skinner, PhD, delivers a compelling critique of how current government policies restrict access to new medicines, discourage investment, and erode the commercial value of pharmaceutical patents. Drawing on over a decade of in-depth research and data analysis, Skinner challenges common misconceptions about drug pricing, industry profits, and public drug plans. The book presents a data-driven investigation into the unintended consequences of price regulation, delayed public drug coverage, and excessive bureaucracy. It reveals how Canada lags other nations on drug availability and efficiency while spending on patented medicines remains a fraction of total health expenditures. Skinner’s analysis is rooted in economic principles and guided by concern for patient welfare and public accountability. He proposes actionable policy reforms to improve access, strengthen private-public insurance models, align with international best practices, and restore incentives for innovation. Building Better Pharma Policy in Canada is a vital read for policymakers, healthcare professionals, industry leaders, and informed citizens who want to rethink how Canada approaches the economics of medicine—and how to ensure a better future for patients.

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Brett J Skinner is the Founder and CEO of Canadian Health Policy Institute (CHPI) and the Editor of CHPI's online journal Canadian Health Policy. From 2013 to 2017 he was Executive Director of Health and Economic Policy at Innovative Medicines Canada—the national association of the research-based pharmaceuticals industry. Dr. Skinner has a doctoral degree from Western University where he lectured in the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Department of Political Science. Dr. Skinner has studied Canadian health policy for 25 years. He has authored and co-authored over one hundred articles on the subject. His opinions have appeared in the National Post, the Financial Post, the Globe and Mail and other major publications. He has spoken at conferences across Canada, the United States, South Africa, and Israel, and is an often-invited expert on TV and radio. Dr. Skinner has testified before committees of parliament in Ottawa and briefed bipartisan staff at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. Dr. Skinner has lived with the progressive symptoms of multiple systems atrophy (MSA) since 2009. MSA is a rare neuro–degenerative disorder often mistaken for Parkinson's disease. Dr. Skinner is non-responsive to existing treatments and is keenly interested in future medical and pharmaceutical innovation.

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Author

Brett J Skinner

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