Overview:
The Best Medicines Coalition is a national alliance of patient organizations with a shared goal of equitable and consistent access for all Canadians to safe and effective medicines that improve patient outcomes. The BMC’s areas of interest include drug approval, assessment and reimbursement, as well as patient safety and supply issues. As an important aspect of its work, the BMC strives to ensure that Canadian patients have a voice and are meaningful participants in health policy development, specifically regarding pharmaceutical care.
The BMC’s core activities involve issue education, consensus building, planning and advocacy, making certain that patient-driven positions are communicated to decision makers and other stakeholders.
The BMC was formed in 2002 as a grassroots alliance of patient advocates. In 2012, the BMC was registered under the Not-for-profit Corporations Act. The organization is governed by By-Laws and a Board of Directors. At each Annual General Meeting, attended by representatives of member organizations, an Annual Chair’s Report is presented which reviews governance, membership changes, financial issues and highlights of the work of the BMC.
Mission:
The BMC seeks timely access to a comprehensive range of medically necessary, safe, and effective drugs and related treatments, informed by patient-driven evidence and values, and delivered equitably and affordably to all patients in Canada.
Goals:
- Effective models for meaningful, proactive, and impactful patient engagement in health and pharmaceutical policy development, recommendations and decision making, where patients and patient organizations are recognized as legitimate and integral contributors and patient-informed evidence is valued and incorporated.
- Drug programs deliver higher standards of equitable and consistent access to a comprehensive range of safe, effective, and affordable medicines for all patients in a timely manner.
- Streamlined, transparent and accountable health policy and regulatory frameworks uphold patient-driven principles, invest in both incremental and breakthrough advancements, provide improved pathways to timely access to all medically necessary medications, protect patient safety and ensure ongoing secure drug supply.