Shechar Dworski, BSc
Despite ongoing criticism, many consider the Canadian drug regulation process to be one of the most respected and effective regulatory approaches in the world. The legislation governing drug approval in Canada is under constant scrutiny and comparison with other leading countries, especially the United States. While critics have pointed out weaknesses, new initiatives have been placed to correct these deficiencies. Some critics claim that the process is too slow. Others rebut by saying that our system is much more scrutinizing and prove this by citing numerous examples of drugs (e.g. several vaccines) not given approval in Canada, that were approved and subsequently recalled in other countries due to adverse reactions. Despite the longer and more intense screening and approval process, critics state that post-approval monitoring in Canada is insufficient, and cite numerous examples of drugs initially approved, but later recalled in other countries due to deaths, to which the Canadian boards did not respond to in a timely manner. There are also claims that the drug industry's close proximity to drug legislative boards results in their own economic interests superceding the public's best interest. To understand the nature and reasoning behind these claims, a closer look at the drug approval process in Canada is needed.
