Complaints

The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) reviews the prices at which patented medicines are first sold by Rights Holders to wholesalers, hospitals, pharmacies, or others in Canada, whether those medicines are prescribed or sold over the counter.

Complaints as of January 1, 2026

When the new PMPRB Guidelines come into force on January 1, 2026, only approved individuals and organisations that believe the price of a patented medicine may be excessive will be able to submit a complaint to the PMPRB. Any complaint received about a patented medicine from designated approved individuals will automatically lead to an In-Depth Review. This includes patented generics, over the counter, and veterinary medicines.

The Guidelines specify that the designated approved individuals and organisations are:

• The Federal Minister of Health or any of their Provincial or Territorial counterparts; or
• Senior officials who are authorised to represent Canadian publicly funded drug programs.

Persons or groups who are not part of the list of approved individuals or organisations, but wish to submit a complaint about the price of a patented medicine sold in Canada, may send their concerns to their Minister of Health and/or Canadian publicly funded drug program. The approved persons may then choose to submit the complaint to the PMPRB on their behalf.

For more information, please see Special Provisions on Complaints in the Guidelines.