Program directory · Health Canada
Access, Affordability, and Appropriate Use of Drugs and Medical Devices
- Department
- Health Canada
- Program code
- BVG02 (H)
- Core responsibility
- Health Care Systems
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2022-23 · Appeared and later dropped
What it does
The policy advice provided by Health Canada is instrumental in advancing the accessibility, affordability and appropriate use of drugs and medical devices. The contribution to the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) supports the federal government’s interest in achieving an accessible, high quality, sustainable and accountable health system adaptable to the needs of Canadians. CADTH works to provide health care decision-makers with credible, impartial advice and evidence-based information about the cost-effective and appropriate use of drugs and medical devices by: producing Health Technology knowledge products, conducting drug and non-drug reviews/assessments and knowledge mobilization and outreach. Target populations that influence and benefit from the work of CADTH include: federal, provincial and territorial governments drug plans and Ministries of Health, regional health authorities, clinicians and patients. CADTH consults and collaborates with a network of stakeholders to ensure its activities meet their needs, including federal, provincial and territorial governments and drug plan managers; health care leaders and decision makers; regional health authorities; patients; researchers and other health technology assessment producers; pan-Canadian organizations; national professional associations; national specialty societies; and private industry.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access, Affordability, and Appropriate Use of Drugs and Medical Devices | This program | 2018-19 – 2024-25 | $2.61B |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | Spending $26.6M, against $44.3M in 2018-19 (−40%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Spending $1.47B, against $29.5M in 2020-21 (+4875%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Spending $1.04B, against $1.47B in 2021-22 (−29%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2023-24 | Planned spending $48.3M, against $1.04B in 2022-23 (−95%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | ≤ 77% | 2022 | — No data is available for 2021-22 due to regulatory amendments. New regulations came into force January 1, 2022. | No result reported |
| 2022-23 | ≤ 77% | 2023 | — Data comparing the price of Canadian patented medicines to the international median from the Patented Medicines Pricing Review Board’s Annual Report for 2022 was not available at the time of reporting. Data is expected to be available by the end of 2023-24. | No result reported |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
No indicators in the 2026-27 plan.
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $21.1M | $44.3M |
| 2019-20 | $24.6M | $26.6M |
| 2020-21 | $29.2M | $29.5M |
| 2021-22 | $32.5M | $1.47B |
| 2022-23 | $545M | $1.04B |
| 2023-24 | $48.3M* | — |
| 2024-25 | $48.3M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 8 | 28 |
| 2019-20 | 12 | 29 |
| 2020-21 | 30 | 26 |
| 2021-22 | 30 | 38 |
| 2022-23 | 30 | 54 |
| 2023-24 | 30* | — |
| 2024-25 | 30* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $21,088,341 | $24,600,246 | $27,666,498 | ||||
| 2019-20 plan | $24,607,444 | $27,673,696 | $30,688,626 | ||||
| 2020-21 plan | $29,232,199 | $32,232,199 | $29,232,199 | ||||
| 2021-22 plan | $32,466,577 | $29,466,577 | $29,466,577 | ||||
| 2022-23 plan | $545,397,575 | $48,315,901 | $48,315,901 | ||||
| Actual | $44,276,566 | $26,596,236 | $29,492,781 | $1,467,122,307 | $1,043,717,198 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
