On October 27, 2020, the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) released the National Drug Prescription Utilization System’s (NDPUIS) analytic study of the Canadian oncology market for 2010 to 2019. The study is divided into three sections, first exploring the dynamics of the international market for oncology medicines, next reviewing oncology sales, distribution, and treatment costs in Canada, and finally examining these trends in the context of private drug plans.

The study concluded that:

• Sales of oncology medicines in Canada have tripled over the past decade;
• Per capita oncology sales in Canada remained below most comparator countries in 2019;
• Since 2010, the share of oncology medicines as a proportion of the total Canadian market has more than doubled;
• Recent trends show a greater international alignment in the prices of oncology medicines;
• Over the last decade, the Canadian oncology market has shifted significantly towards higher-cost drugs;
• The Canadian oncology market is largely driven by new medicines;
• Canadian availability for top-selling new oncology medicines is in line with comparator countries; and
• High-cost oncology medicines account for a growing share of drug costs in Canada’s private drug plans.