Daniel Peak, national senior manager of private payer strategy at Sanofi, is retiring on April 26. As senior manager, Peak led the development and implementation of Sanofi’s strategy to facilitate a sustainable private payer business environment. He was also the project leader of the Sanofi Canada health-care survey. Read: Sanofi survey finds 85% of plan members used drug […]
Health Canada has proposed amendments to the Food and Drug Regulations that would make it easier for drug companies to get authorization to produce generic versions of brand name drugs. The amendments would allow Health Canada to more quickly to approve generic drug applications that have the same active ingredients as their brand name equivalent […]
Following the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario’s decision in a landmark age discrimination case last year, former high school teacher Steve Talos has reached a settlement with the Grand Erie District School Board. Though Ontario abolished mandatory retirement in 2006, it still allowed employers to terminate benefits plans for workers age 65 and over. In […]
Brand-name drug companies could put off introducing new medicine in Canada and scale back research here if the country makes a major shift to cheaper generic alternatives under a national pharmacare plan, according to an internal federal analysis. The concerns were included last year in a briefing document for federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau that […]
The Reformulary Group Inc. is launching the Cannabis Standard, an evidence-based medical marijuana formulary and research platform that operates on a subscription basis. It determines if patients are a good candidate for medical cannabis based on research, reviews, clinical evidence and the advice of an expert committee. The Cannabis Standard will allow employers to access evidence and expert advice on […]
Does your organization’s mental health or diversity program deserve recognition? Are you leading the way when it comes to drug and benefits plan innovation? Is your company’s pension performance award-worthy? Benefits Canada’s annual Workplace Benefits Awards is officially open for nominations. Submit your entries here. The 2019 awards will continue to honour the triumphs and […]
While some say a single-payer system would mean reduced drug prices and expenditures, others argue it could have unintended consequences, particularly for private plan sponsors. Marc-André Gagnon, associate professor at Carleton University’s school of public policy and administration: Canada’s drug coverage is a patchwork without coherence or purpose. Some think more patches can solve the […]
In September 2018, Health Canada approved, for the first time, the use of a chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy. Called Kymriah, it treats pediatric and young adult leukemia and adult lymphoma. The federal regulator is also reviewing a second gene therapy, called Yescarta, for an aggressive kind of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Both therapies are […]
On the eve of his retirement, with more than 40 years in benefits under his belt, Aon’s Art Babcock considers the industry’s move to technology, health-care spending accounts and drone piloting Q. How did you get into the group benefits industry? A. I began my career in the insurance industry out of university, with Metropolitan […]
Employees at Glencore Canada’s Brunswick Smelter operation are considering striking over what their union is calling “never-ending” concession demands from the company on pensions and benefits packages. While members of the United Steelworkers Local 7085 are expected to vote on a strike on March 28 and 29, negotiations between the employer and the union, which represents […]