Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association

02/10/2026

Last week, leaders from across the generic and biosimilar medicines sector gathered in Toronto for the 2026 CGPA Annual Members Meeting to discuss the policies and priorities shaping Canada’s pharmaceutical landscape.

CGPA and its member companies were pleased to welcome Pamela Aung-Thin, Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Products and Food Branch at Health Canada, as this year’s keynote speaker.

Pamela shared valuable insights into how Health Canada is working to improve the drug review process and opportunities for continued collaboration with CGPA.

Thank you, Pamela, for your thoughtful contribution to this year’s discussion!

To learn more about how Canada’s generic and biosimilar medicines industry works with government and stakeholders to strengthen healthcare and support a sustainable economy, visit www.canadiangenerics.ca

01/26/2026

By supplying life-saving medicines for a small fraction of the original cost, generic pharmaceuticals make healthcare much more affordable for Canadians.

Using generic medicine has saved our healthcare system tens of billions of dollars over the past five years.

But the crazy thing is, that's just a drop in the bucket compared to what we COULD be saving.

If both the private and public sectors increased their use of generic pharmaceuticals by just 1%, the Canadian healthcare system would save an additional $1.2 billion each year.

That’s the power of generics: even small can lead to massive gains for patients, providers and the health outcomes of millions of Canadians.

01/16/2026

Health Canada's delays are delaying Canadians to lower-cost medicines—and costing them millions of dollars in the process.

In fact, some generic submissions have faced delays of more than two years, keeping affordable options out of reach for far too long.

As CGPA President Jim Keon recently told The Globe and Mail, the CGPA has been encouraging Health Canada to make a priority of speeding up the process.

"We have talked to them about this for quite a while," Jim explains, "and they say: 'Well, we haven't got the resources to develop guidances on all these complex products."

Placing a strong priority on the timely review and approval of lower-cost generic and biosimilar medicines is imperative for improving patient access to treatments and supporting the long-term sustainability of Canada's health-care system.

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