Regulatory Decision Making in Canada-Exploring New Frontiers in Patient Involvement

Recent legislative amendments aim to enhance the transparency of the regulatory review processes about drugs, and provide public information about Health Canada's review decisions. There is also growing recognition of the value, with respect to regulatory benefit-risk assessment, of information that could be gathered from patients-the direct users of these products. Patients can provide unique insights into practical aspects of living with their disease and its treatments-as well as gaps in treatment needs. An enhanced understanding of patients' experiences and perspectives can contribute directly to better-informed decision making about these products by regulators. Health Canada is currently exploring and examining the most effective ways to collect and consider patient input in the evaluation of therapeutic products. As part of this process, Health Canada is assessing the suitability of other existing models through environmental scans, discussions with other health authorities, and pilot projects. Lessons learned from these models can inform best practices and opportunities for patient involvement when designing a model to meet Canada's needs and context. Health Canada launched a Patient Involvement Pilot Project in 2014 to simulate how input from patients, their caregivers, health care professionals, and patient groups could be collected and incorporated in the drug submission review process. This ongoing experience and continuous learning will define better how to incorporate patient input into benefit-risk assessment and regulatory decision making throughout the life cycle of therapeutic products in Canada.