Science Advisory Committee on Pest Control Products (SAC-PCP) - Meeting Summary

Third meeting, Monday December 5, 2022, 1:00 to 4:00 pm EST
Virtual Meeting via Zoom

List of Participants

SAC-PCP Members

Dr. Valérie Langlois (co-chair)
Dr. Bruce Lanphear (co-chair)
Dr. Maricor Arlos
Dr. Stéphane Bayen
Dr. Kyle Bobiwash
Dr. Eric Liberda
Dr. Christy Morrissey
Dr. Sean Prager
Dr. Xianming Zhang

Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) Executives

Frédéric Bissonnette, Acting Executive Director, PMRA
Manon Bombardier, Assistant Deputy Minister, PMRA Transformation
Ruth Rancy, Director General, Policy and Operations Directorate and Executive Secretary to the SAC-PCP

Secretariat

Jordan Hancey
Shifawn O'Hara
Shannon Seguin
Stephanie Watson
Sophie Ziai

PMRA Presenters

Jason Proceviat
Haris Gisavi
Samira Roufik
Connie Moase
Janine Murray

Summary

• The purpose of this third meeting was to present the PMRA's response to SAC-PCP's advice and recommendations on the first charge question regarding the suggested scientific eligibility criteria for the proposed Ministerial Authorizations pathway, discuss a proposed case study to illustrate the pesticide registration lifecycle, and present the Committee with their third charge question.

Welcome and Introductory Remarks

• The PMRA's Acting Executive Director welcomed all participants and observers to the third meeting, thanked members for their commitment and contribution, and reiterated the importance of the Committee in strengthening the PMRA's regulatory decision-making process for all Canadians by providing independent scientific advice on specific scientific questions.
• The PMRA's Assistant Deputy Minister – Transformation gave an update on the Agency's transformation agenda and spoke to the valuable contribution of this committee on certain science questions that arise in the context of this transformation.

Roundtable Introductions, Co-chairs Address and Review of Affiliations

• The Committee co-chairs led introductions and, in accordance with the Terms of Reference, asked each member to declare whether there had been any changes in their affiliations and interests since the last meeting. All members (including the co-chairs) confirmed that their affiliations and interests had not changed since the last meeting. Committee members were reminded of the ongoing requirement to provide updated declarations and affiliations to the SAC-PCP Secretariat.
• The Committee co-chairs also welcomed the nineteen (19) observers, and clarified that they may not participate in the discussions, either by speaking or by otherwise expressing their support for or disagreement with what is being said, unless specifically invited to do so by the co-chairs and they can only attend items on the agenda that are open to observers.

SAC-PCP's Advice and Recommendations on the First Charge Question on Ministerial Authorizations and the PMRA's Response

A brief overview of the Committee's advice and recommendations, along with the PMRA's response, was presented.

• The PMRA addressed the fact that there was a lack of clarity on certain aspects of the proposal, stating that it is important to be clear on the intent, and committed to taking this into account moving forward.
• The PMRA agreed with many of the Committee's recommendations, some of which are already part of the criteria themselves, or the existing risk and value assessment processes.
• In providing the PMRA's response to the Committee's recommendations, the PMRA clearly communicated which of these recommendations required clarifications of a factual nature. These factual clarifications were provided to the SAC-PCP members for their consideration when finalizing the Advisory Report.

The Secretariat confirmed a summary of the SAC-PCP's recommendations, along with the PMRA's response, will be published online.

Proposed Case Study to Illustrate the Pesticide Registration Lifecycle

The PMRA provided an outline of the pesticide registration lifecycle, and asked the SAC-PCP members if there was any aspect on which they would like to focus. The SAC-PCP Committee members requested more information on certain topics, including re-evaluation, dermal exposure and mitigation measures. The Committee was also interested in seeing how both toxicological and epidemiologic studies are used in re-evaluations. The Committee suggested dedicating 2 hours at a future meeting to this topic.

Charge Question

The PMRA began the presentation by explaining how the continuous oversight model is part of the transformation agenda, which aims to modernize PMRA's business practices over the next year. The presentation continued with an overview of the key aspects of the proposed science literature review strategy that is being developed as part of the continuous oversight approach. Following the presentation of relevant background material, the SAC-PCP was presented their third official charge question:

• "Will the proposed systematic science literature review strategy help ensure that relevant published scientific literature, which would inform current and future regulatory actions related to pesticides, will be identified and addressed in a timely manner?
• What further details would the SAC recommend for inclusion in the proposed science literature review strategy?
• What additional considerations are recommended by the SAC?"

Following the presentation to support the Committee's formulation of advice and recommendations surrounding the charge question, all observers left the meeting so the Committee could begin the in camera discussions.

Question Period and Committee Discussions

The Committee members asked questions pertaining to the charge question, then initiated their discussion to begin formulating their recommendations. Topics of discussion included:

• How the proposed continuous oversight approach differs from the full science review of the initial pesticide registration and post-market review processes;
• The purpose of the literature review;
• Special review triggers;
• How studies with new methodologies are weighted; and,
• Guidance on the screening in or out of published scientific studies.

The SAC-PCP agreed to provide its advice to the PMRA in mid-February 2023.

Closing remarks

• The Acting Executive Director of the PMRA thanked members for their participation, expressed the anticipation for the next meeting to occur in early April 2023, and adjourned the meeting.