Pangaea Express - "Agreement in Principle" regarding Quebec Bill 81

What a difference a couple of weeks can make! In early July, it appeared as though the Quebec Health Minister was going to move ahead with the new generic tendering process as per Bill 81.

However, on July 16, the Government of Quebec and the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association reached an “Agreement in Principle” regarding the supply of generic drug products. The Government of Quebec has agreed NOT to tender for generic prescriptions drugs for the duration of this five year agreement which begins October 1, 2017. Instead, as per this "Agreement in Principle", the Quebec government will save their targeted $1.5 billion through further price discounts and the launch of new generic medicines.

Will such an agreement remain exclusive to Quebec or be shared with over provinces through the pCPA? Lower prices for generic medicines will cut into revenues for distributors. How will this impact pharmacy, private labels and distributors in the province?

While there is limited information at this time to answer these questions, more details will be forthcoming.

For more information, please contact [Marla Weingarten, Consultant, The Pangaea Group](mailto: mweingarten@pangaea-consultants.com.