28 March 2019 - Canadians pay too much for prescription drugs – and that means far too many go without the medicine they need.

With Budget 2019, the Government of Canada is taking important first steps on implementing national pharmacare, to make prescription drugs more affordable and accessible to more Canadians.

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today visited Halifax, Nova Scotia to highlight the Government of Canada's plan to move forward with important measures that will lay the foundation for national pharmacare.

Through Budget 2019, the government announced its intention to move forward, in partnership with provinces, territories, and other partners and stakeholders, on three foundational elements of national pharmacare:

• Create a Canadian Drug Agency, which would assess the effectiveness of new prescription drugs and negotiate drug prices on behalf of Canada's drug plans to help lower drug costs for Canadians by up to $3 billion per year in the long term.
• Develop a national formulary – a comprehensive, evidence-based list of prescription drugs – which would help promote coverage that is more consistent across the country.
• Establish a national strategy for high-cost drugs for rare diseases to help Canadians – many of whom are children – get better and more consistent access to the much-needed treatments that they need.

Read Canadian Government press release