Health Canada recently published a notice outlining its phase III pre-market transparency initiatives for prescription drugs. Beginning October 1, 2018, Health Canada will publish a new list of abbreviated new drug submissions (ANDSs) on the Submissions Under Review (SUR) List, as well as publish Regulatory Decision Summaries (RDSs) for ANDSs, supplemental abbreviated new drug submissions (SANDSs) and certain supplemental new drug submissions (SNDSs).

These phase III initiatives are being implemented further to five proposals related to prescription drug product transparency that Health Canada consulted on in the fall of 2017. A "What we heard" report was published in April 2018 and Health Canada is now moving forward with implementing the five proposals.

Beginning October 1, 2018, Health Canada will:

  • Prepare and post RDSs for final positive decisions (issued on or after October 1, 2018) and negative decisions (for submissions accepted into review on or after October 1, 2018) for ANDSs and SANDSs that might be of interest to stakeholders, including where Health Canada has significantly deviated from its published guidance, for critical dose drugs and for complex drug substances or drug products;
  • Prepare and post RDSs for SNDSs for positive decisions (issued on or after October 1, 2018) for new routes of administration, dosage forms, and strengths;
  • Publish a new list of ANDSs under review on the SUR List (accepted into review on or after October 1, 2018). The list will include medicinal ingredient(s), therapeutic area, and number of applicable submissions;
  • Publish the sponsor (company) name for new entries on the SUR List for New Drug Submissions (NDSs) and SNDSs (for submissions accepted into review on or after October 1, 2018); and
  • Publish the submission 'class' on the SUR List for NDSs and SNDSs (accepted into review on or after October 1, 2018). The submission classes are as follows: (i) extraordinary use submission, (ii) new active substance, (iii) biosimilar, (iv) being reviewed under the priority review policy, (v) being reviewed under the notice of compliance with conditions guidance, (vi) being reviewed under the submissions relying on third-party data guidance, and (vii) part of 'aligned review' with a health technology assessment (HTA) agency.

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