Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association

01/05/2026

The International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association (IGBA), which represents global manufacturers of generic and biosimilar medicines, announced today that CGPA and Biosimilars Canada President Jim Keon has assumed the role of IGBA Chair for 2026.

In this third stint as IGBA Chair, Jim will leverage his 30-plus years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry to help guide IGBA’s mission to expand access to high-quality, affordable medicines worldwide, advancing priorities like regulatory convergence, balanced IP systems and resilient markets.

“I am honoured to take on this role again,” Keon says. “In a rapidly changing world, access to safe, effective, high-quality, and cost-effective medicines remains fundamental... The IGBA community is committed to its vision, and we will continue working to expand access to medicines worldwide."

Congratulations Jim!

Read the IGBA's full announcement:

https://igbamedicines.org/doc/20250113_IGBA%20PR_%20Jim%20Keon%20takes%20over%20the%20position%20of%20IGBA%20Chair_VF.pdf

12/12/2025

Increasing use of generic medicine by a single percentage point would go a long way to making Canada's healthcare system more responsive and sustainable.

How long?

If the public sector increased its use of generic medicines by just 1%, it would save $514 million per year.

If the private sector did the same, it would save $719 million annually.

And if both increased by just a single percentage point? Canada would see a whopping $1.23 billion in annual savings across the healthcare system.

Every per cent matters. Every prescription counts. And every step toward greater generic use helps build a more sustainable, affordable future for Canadian patients and payers alike.

12/09/2025

Four members of the CGPA and Biosimilars Canada – Guillaume Lefèvre, Ken Gagnon, Christine Renaud, and Christian Kindundu – led a dynamic and diverse panel in a TED Talk-inspired format during the 19th edition of the Québec City Healthcare Industry Forum, held at the Québec City Convention Centre on December 4.

The presentation, titled “The Future of Generics and Biosimilars in Québec: Challenges, Perspectives, and Successes,” addressed recent pharmaceutical policy reforms, emerging challenges shaping the sector, and provided an outlook on the future of generic and biosimilar medicines in the province.

We thank Québec International for organizing this event, which brought together government, healthcare industry professionals and facilitated interesting discussions, further strengthening our collaboration to better meet patients’ needs.

12/01/2025

11/21/2025

A small change in Alberta could have a big impact.

If the province increased its use of generic medicines by just 1%, Albertans could save $122.6 million every year on prescription drugs.

The private sector alone would save $68.8 million, while the public sector would save $53.8 million if they made the switch.

That’s over $120 million in annual savings, simply by choosing equally safe, equally effective generic medicines.

But since generics are orders-of-magnitude more cost-effective than their brand-name counterparts, even modest increases in generic use can deliver major returns for the people of Alberta.

11/14/2025

Congratulations to CGPA member company Marcan Pharmaceuticals.

Earlier this week, members of the CGPA leadership team, including President Jim Keon, Vice President of Federal and International Affairs Jody Cox, and Kristin Willemsen, Vice President of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, had the pleasure of attending Marcan's 20th anniversary celebration.

Thank you to the team at Marcan for including us in your big day and inviting Jim to speak at the celebration. And congratulations on two decades of contributing to the affordable, sustainable and homegrown healthcare that Canadian generics provide.

11/05/2025

The federal budget tabled on November 4 includes important measures to support domestic life sciences and manufacturing investments.

Budget 2025 did not provide the resources Health Canada urgently needs to address its growing backlog of generic and biosimilar drug submissions. Drug reviews are cost-recovered, with industry covering 75 per cent of the cost. Drug reviews are a core Health Canada regulatory program and require increased and sustained resources to return to predictable operations and eliminate the backlog.

The CGPA and its member companies remain committed to working collaboratively with the federal government and Health Canada to restore timely drug review processes, and ensure Canadians have access to affordable, quality-assured medicines.

Read our full statement here: https://canadiangenerics.ca/statement-from-the-canadian-generic-pharmaceutical-association-cgpa-on-the-2025-federal-budget/

10/30/2025

The CGPA and its member companies would like to thank The Hon. Victor Fedeli, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, along with The Hon. Nina Tangri, and MPPs John Jordan, Frances Gélinas, and Lee Fairclough for meeting with us at Queen’s Park yesterday.

We value the opportunity to continue our dialogue with the government about the importance of generic pharmaceuticals for Ontario. Not only do generics make the province’s health-care system more affordable, they also support the province’s life science sector, provide manufacturing jobs, and increase exports.

In our conversations, we highlighted the importance of timely approvals for generics and biosimilars as well as the need for additional Health Canada resources to help meet the growing demand for affordable medicines.

We look forward to continuing these important conversations to benefit patients, the health-care system, and Ontario’s economy.

10/27/2025

In a new op-ed for National Newswatch, Jim Keon, the president of CGPA and its Biosimilars Canada division, calls on the federal government to invest in Health Canada's drug review capacity to accelerate access to cost-saving generics and biosimilars.

As Jim’s piece notes, right now over 500 generic drug submissions are under review, and more than 100 are backlogged. These delays increase costs for public and private drug plans, employers and patients, and prevent the savings that generic and biosimilar medicines are designed to deliver.

"Each day of delayed drug competition can result in millions of dollars in extra costs," Jim writes.

And those are costs Canadians shouldn't have to pay. It's time to prioritize timely access to affordable medicines.

Read the full op-ed:

Https://nationalnewswatch.com/2025/10/27/time-for-action-investing-in-health-canada-to-accelerate-access-to-affordable-medications

10/20/2025

In British Columbia, a small shift could mean big savings.

If BC increased its use of generic medicines by just 1%, the province could save more than $112 million per year on prescription drugs.

Yes, you read that right: more than $100 million in savings with just a 1% increase in generics.

A 1% increase in generics in the private sector would save $72.2 million, and the same increase in the public sector would save $40.2 million.

Together, that’s $112.4 million in annual savings, just by increasing generic use by one percentage point.

Generic medicines work the same way as their brand-name counterparts, but at a fraction of the cost.

And as BC’s numbers show, even a modest increase in generic use can go a long way toward building a more affordable, sustainable healthcare system for Canadians.

10/08/2025

The CGPA welcomes the decision by Quebec’s Ministry of Health and Social Services to increase the number of formulary updates to the lists of medications from 9 to 12 per year starting in 2026.

This decision reflects Minister Christian Dubé’s clear commitment to accelerating patient access to generic medications.

This measure, which is essential to Quebec’s healthcare system, will help speed up the market entry of generic medicines and could generate annual savings of up to $5 million.

We are pleased that this initiative reflects our 2025-2026 pre-budget recommendations submitted to the Minister of Finance, which can be viewed here: www.finances.gouv.qc.ca/ministere/outils_services/consultations_publiques/consultations_prebudgetaires/2025-2026/memoires/Asso_canadienne_medicament.pdf

A big thank you to the Government of Quebec for its leadership and commitment in improving access to essential medicines to better meet the needs of patients across the province.

10/03/2025

Every small shift toward generic medicine adds up—and in Quebec's case, it adds up to a lot. Did you know that Quebec could save more than a quarter billion dollars by increasing its use of generic medicines by just 1%?

It's true.

A 1% increase in generics would save Quebec's private sector more than $212 million, while a similar switch by the public sector would save more than $148 million.

In total, la belle province could reduce its spending on pharmaceuticals by more than $360 million with just a 1% increase in generics across the board.

Generic medicine works exactly like the brand name version, but at a fraction of the price. And as the opportunity in front of Quebec demonstrates, it doesn’t take much to create massive savings for Canadians.