Medicine Price Board Appointments
Canadian Government Appoints Two New Members to Patented Medicine Prices Review Board
Canada's drug price watchdog is getting two new members. Health Minister Marjorie Michel has formally appointed Peter Moreland-Giraldeau as Vice-Chairperson and Conor McCourt as a Board Member of the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB), according to National Post. Both men had been serving on the Board since October 2023, making these formal confirmations of roles they already held.
The PMPRB is a federal body created in 1987 to make sure drug companies do not charge Canadians excessive prices for patented medicines. Michel said the two appointees' "qualifications and collective experience will be strong assets to the Board as it delivers on its mandate to support Canadians' access to fair prices for patented medicines," according to Shoreline Beacon.
Who Are Moreland-Giraldeau and McCourt?
Peter Moreland-Giraldeau is a lawyer with eight years of experience in administrative and labour law across multiple provinces. He previously worked as Legal Counsel at Alberta Health Shared Services. As Vice-Chairperson, he will help lead the Board's day-to-day operations and formal hearings, according to Daily Herald Tribune.
Conor McCourt is a retired lawyer with deep expertise in pharmaceutical patent law, health regulation, and market access. His background is seen as bringing "industry-literate" legal experience to the Board, according to Recorder. Together, the two join Chairperson Anie Perrault, a lawyer with over 30 years of experience who was designated to lead the Board in January 2026.
A Board Rebuilt After Years of Turmoil
The PMPRB went through a rocky stretch between 2019 and 2024. The federal government tried to overhaul how the Board set price limits. Drug companies sued. Board members resigned. Legal fights stripped the PMPRB of some of its price-cutting tools, according to Sault This Week.
New guidelines took effect on January 1, 2026, ending years of uncertainty. The rules now focus on comparing Canadian drug prices to those in 11 other countries — Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. If Canada's price is the highest, the drug faces a deeper review, according to Fort Saskatchewan Record.
What the Numbers Say About Canadian Drug Prices
The PMPRB's own data shows a mixed picture. Sales of patented medicines in Canada rose 10.9% in 2024. But the list price of those drugs went up just 1% — well below the 2.4% rise in the Consumer Price Index for the same year. That gap suggests drug companies are keeping list prices stable while selling more volume.
The new "In-Depth Review" process — triggered when a Canadian price tops the highest price in the 11 comparator countries — is expected to take 12 to 28 months to complete. Legal analysts at Norton Rose Fulbright have called the appointments a sign of "procedural predictability" after years of standstill, according to Daily Herald Tribune.
Critics Say New Rules Are Softer Than First Planned
Not everyone is satisfied with the direction. Public health advocates say the 2026 guidelines are weaker than what the government first proposed in 2019. The original plan would have used pharmacoeconomic value — essentially, how much a drug improves patient health — to judge whether a price is fair. Courts blocked that approach after drug companies challenged it.
The result is a Board that monitors prices rather than actively forcing them down. Some advocates argue this shift could cost Canadian drug plans hundreds of millions of dollars in missed savings. The government, however, frames the new appointments as a "return to order" — choosing legal professionals with the experience needed to avoid the lawsuits that derailed earlier reform efforts, according to Shoreline Beacon.
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