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Category: Project

Description: Patient engagement across Canada’s pharmaceutical system aims to incorporate patient experiences and needs into decision-making from drug discovery through to post-market activities. Given the current context of pharmaceutical policy changes, it is an opportune time to reflect on patient engagement processes with the goal of creating systematic, coordinated, and meaningful processes. This report identifies current approaches and gaps in patient engagement methods across the pharmaceutical system. Several improvement opportunities to build linkages and trust with patient communities are identified, including the implementation of a system-wide approach for coordinated patient engagement and support, incorporating patient representation in governance, and establishing a national organization that is agnostic of health conditions to foster capacity building, inclusive practices, and evaluation. This is the final report of the Patient Advisor to the Canadian Drug Agency Transition Office (CDATO) made in April 2024.