CCOHTA To Hold Information Session On Common Drug Review

October 23, 2002

OTTAWA - The Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment (CCOHTA) will hold an information session for Canadian pharmaceutical companies to outline the new submission requirements and processes under the common drug review before they come into effect, CCOHTA President Jill Sanders announced today.

In September, Canada's Health Ministers announced that CCOHTA would oversee a common process for reviewing drugs on behalf of participating public drug benefit plans.

"There will be some changes industry must be aware of as we move to replace numerous different submission and review processes with one consistent, rigorous approach," said Sanders. "We want to ensure that industry understands the changes and has an opportunity to provide input before they are finalized."

The information session will be held in Ottawa in late November. Drug companies are invited to submit the name of one company representative to CCOHTA by email by Friday, Nov. 8. This person will be advised of the date, time and location of the meeting when these have been determined.

During the transition to the permanent process, manufacturers should continue to make submissions directly to individual drug plans as in the past and they should continue to contact individual plans regarding formulary decisions, including listing decisions.

For further information contact Kirk Fergusson: Director, Communications, CCOHTA - 613-226-2553