Our vaccine gap reflects years of policy self-harm
Why is it increasingly likely that most Canadians, especially vulnerable seniors and front- line healthcare workers, will be waiting many months for access to a COVID-19 vaccine? And, just as important, why is Canada behind the U. S., the U. K., Germany, Belgium, Spain, Italy, France, Russia, India, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Japan, Indonesia and Mexico in vaccine access?
Ottawa says it has contracted for more than 300 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from seven companies as insurance against the likelihood some vaccines now in development will not be effective. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization has published recommendations as to which Canadians will be vaccinated first. The federal government has just appointed a general to lead its vaccine rollout and plans to buy 100 specialized freezers for vaccines that must be stored at very cold temperatures.
But where is the distribution plan? And when will distribution begin? Remember, this is the same federal government whose Phoenix payroll system still isn’t completely fixed.
Two of Canada’s close allies, the U. S. and the U. K., already have concrete plans to distribute vaccines, with the first delivery expected in December. Pfizer is already shipping its vaccine in anticipation of regulatory approval. For his part, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that he’s looking forward to being able to vaccinate Canadians in the coming months ( note he doesn’t say weeks) but that it’s premature to say when that will be. He says his government is working hard to secure tens of millions of doses once a safe and effective vaccine is approved and ready for Canadians.
Health Canada’s approval process is often slow and cumbersome and habitually lags the United States and Europe — even when federal employees aren’t working from home. Health Minister Patty Hajdu has said her department is working closely with procurement officials to distribute a vaccine — once Canada secures one. It’s just as important that it work closely with the U. S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency to streamline regulatory approval.
Prime Minister Trudeau stresses that the lack of a domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity will delay access. For years, successive federal governments ( not just Conservative, as he has said, but Liberal, too) have undervalued the benefits pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies bring to Canada — not just in access to innovative products but also in investments in research, smart jobs and manufacturing plants.
Federal and provincial government policies have erected barriers against new medicines that include health-technology assessments and draconian price negotiations. Even if a drug survives this gauntlet, patient access and sales via public drug plans are not guaranteed. It is therefore no surprise that drug developers have moved manufacturing plants, jobs and research to more welcoming countries.
The Trudeau government is following its predecessors in instituting policies, due to come into effect in January, that will force significant price reductions on new drugs and vaccines launched in Canada. This can only further deter drug developers from bringing technological innovations here.
By exempting COVID-19 vaccines from the new price controls the federal government did implicitly recognize how its pricing revisions are a heavy burden on drug developers and an obstacle to meeting patients’ needs. It evidently is not blind to the impact of its policies but — COVID vaccines aside — it is proceeding with its plan to force down prices even if that means Canadians will be subsidizing drug budgets by going without life- altering therapies.
Ample evidence exists that the new price controls will reduce investment in research and facilities in Canada. The number of new clinical trials is already trending down. In particular, very few trials on COVID-19 vaccines are being performed here. And, as the prime minister has observed, Canada has few manufacturing plants. Contrast this with Mexico’s active efforts to attract COVID-19 vaccine trials. One is already underway, another is expected to start once it is approved, and still others may begin soon. Mexico’s president clearly wants to ensure his country is not left behind in the global race to secure a vaccine.
And what is our prime minister doing? He’s committing to ensuring that developing nations get access to vaccination. That’s laudable, but what is his plan for his own citizens? Not only are many Canadians suffering and dying from COVID- 19 and associated mental health problems, they have pandemic fatigue. They expect their government to ensure that, like Americans and Europeans, they will have timely access to a vaccine. Timely means early in 2021 — not 2022. The current situation requires action, not excuses.