By Canadian Press

POLITICS

Ottawa willing to add to list of medications covered by pharmacare bill: minister

May 23, 2024 | 4:10 PM

Canada’s Health Minister Mark Holland says the government is open to adding more medications to the list of drugs covered by its proposed pharmacare program.

Holland made the comments at a parliamentary committee studying the Liberals’ pharmacare bill.

Conservative health critic Stephen Ellis asked the minister why semaglutide — a class of antidiabetic medication — was not included in list of drugs covered by the legislation.

The bill introduced in February charts a course toward a universal pharmacare plan that covers birth control and diabetes drugs and supplies.

It does not include Ozempic, a new semaglutide medication for diabetes that has been used off-label as a weight-loss drug.

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Holland said the current list represents an “absolute minimum,” and the government is open to adding to it based on negotiations with provinces and recommendations from the committee.