The Canadian Pharmacists Association is already doing something. They are lobbying the federal administration to take all drug-related goods off the list of possible retaliatory tariffs on the United States. This appeal is timely, as calls for greater transparency grow amid worries about how ongoing, simmering trade tensions are impacting the pharmaceutical supply chain. At the moment, this list contains just eight pharmaceutical tariff codes. What those medications or products are, exactly, is still up in the air.
Like the U.S.’s healthcare system, Canada’s system is deeply integrated into global supply chains for pharmaceutical ingredients and medications. Canada remains dependent on the U.S. for key components. In fact, nearly a fifth of the drugs we use in Canada are produced there. Additionally, like Canada, we rely on active pharmaceutical ingredients from China and India so it’s in our best interests to continue strong and stable trade relations.
The pharmacists’ association emphasizes that imposing tariffs on drugs could have significant implications for drug prices and overall healthcare costs. They’re urging the feds to work in closer partnership with manufacturers. Their intent seems to be to tune relief measures to more effectively minimize any cost increases. Such measures are necessary to make sure that Canadians don’t lose access to affordable medications.
According to the national pharmacists’ association, the proposed tariffs would create “significant access issues.” They aren’t predicting any short-term drug shortages should those tariffs go into effect. They claim that Canada’s drug supply is secure. This stability is a welcome sign of reliability in an otherwise fragile context of ongoing trade negotiations.
The continuing debate over tariffs exposes the tangled web that is global trade and healthcare. As Canada navigates its relationships with key trading partners, the pharmacists’ association aims to ensure that medication access remains a priority. Trade policy changes must be explicitly designed to protect Canadian patients from harm, they argue.
