Québec Government Finalizes Exceptions For Patient Support Programs

On March 31, the Québec government published the final version of the regulation respecting exceptions to the prohibition against paying or reimbursing the price of a medication or supply covered by the basic prescription drug insurance plan (Regulation)¹, made under the Act respecting prescription drug insurance (Act). This final Regulation will bring into force one of the key new prohibitions added to the Act as part of Bill 92 back in 2016².

What you need to know

• Prohibition: Section 80.2(1) of the Act will prohibit manufacturers, wholesalers and intermediaries from paying or reimbursing a medication or supply covered by the basic prescription drug insurance plan, except to the extent provided by the Regulation, in particular for "humanitarian reasons".
  • The final Regulation does not provide clarification on what the Act means by "humanitarian reasons". Instead the final version of the Regulation largely retains the exceptions included in the draft