Developing a Canadian Real-World Evidence Action Plan Across the Drug Life Cycle

Canadian policy-makers face challenges with the number of drugs for rare indications and rapidly rising costs. In facing these challenges, decision-makers see real-world evidence (RWE) as an opportunity.

Health Canada and CADTH recently announced the intent to co-develop an action plan to optimize the process for systematically using and integrating RWE into both regulatory and reimbursement decision-making in Canada. When implemented, this will have a significant impact on how drugs are approved and paid for in Canada. In a new article in Healthcare Policy, authors from CADTH and Health Canada highlight the key opportunities, barriers, and future directions related to the use of RWE throughout the life cycle of drugs in Canada.