Pmprb - Patented Medicine Prices Review Board

What Pmprb - Patented Medicine Prices Review Board does

The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) is an independent Canadian federal quasi-judicial tribunal established under the Patent Act in 1987, headquartered in Ottawa at Box L40, Standard Life Centre, 333 Laurier Avenue West, Suite 1400. PMPRB operates with a small staff (1-10 disclosed), executing a dual mandate: a regulatory function ensuring the prices of patented medicines sold in Canada are not excessive, and a reporting function that publishes analysis of pharmaceutical trends, R&D spending by patentees, and prescription drug utilization through the National Prescription Drug Utilization Information System (NPDUIS) partnership with the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).

Its operational "technology" is a regulatory and quasi-judicial workflow rather than a software product: price review of patented drugs, scientific review by the Human Drug Advisory Panel (HDAP), investigations, public hearings under the Rules of Practice and Procedures, and the issuance of Voluntary Compliance Undertakings (VCUs) and Board decisions. Patentees file Form 1 and Form 2 compliance reports, including via an online filing system at submissions.pmprb-cepmb.gc.ca. Pricing benchmarks compare Canadian patented drug prices against international reference countries including France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and the USA.

PMPRB does not generate commercial revenue and is funded through federal government appropriations as a regulator. Its outputs include annual reports, the quarterly PMPRB NEWSletter (La Nouvelle), RSS feeds, analytical studies (Meds Pipeline Monitor, Meds Entry Watch, Biologics in Canada, Market Intelligence Reports), and public consultations through the Notice and Comment process. Customers, in the regulator–stakeholder sense, are consumers of patented medicines, pharmaceutical patentees required to report pricing, and other stakeholders such as provincial drug plans and patient advocacy groups.

Name

Pmprb - Patented Medicine Prices Review Board

Legal name

Patented Medicine Prices Review Board

Website

https://pmprb-cepmb.gc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) is an independent Canadian federal quasi-judicial tribunal established in 1987 under the Patent Act that regulates the prices of patented medicines sold in Canada, conducts scientific reviews and hearings, and reports on pharmaceutical trends and R&D spending to consumers, patentees, and other stakeholders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmaceutical Price Regulation

NAICS

Pharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (524292)

akta.pro primary industry

Drug Regulators (Human Pharmaceuticals) (HLAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Government Pricing & Compliance (Medicare/Medicaid/340B/AMP/Best Price) (HLAIAKAE)

Keywords

• Pharmaceutical price regulation
• Patent medicine oversight
• Quasi-judicial tribunal
• Drug pricing compliance
• Pharmaceutical reporting

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

PMPRB is an independent quasi-judicial Canadian federal tribunal that regulates the prices of patented medicines sold in Canada to ensure they are not excessive, and reports on pharmaceutical trends and patentee R&D spending. Its functions include price review, scientific review through the Human Drug Advisory Panel, investigations, public hearings, issuance of Voluntary Compliance Undertakings (VCUs), and ordering price reductions or payment of excess revenues under the Patent Act.

Product overview

The PMPRB (Patented Medicine Prices Review Board) is an independent quasi-judicial Canadian government tribunal that regulates prices of patented medicines. Rather than a commercial product company, it provides regulatory services including: price review and compliance monitoring of patented drugs, scientific review through the Human Drug Advisory Panel, and reporting via NPDUIS (National Prescription Drug Utilization Information System). Its online platforms include the website portal with electronic filing system for Form 2 submissions, RSS feeds, and publications including annual reports, quarterly newsletters, and analytical research reports such as Meds Pipeline Monitor, Meds Entry Watch, Biologics in Canada, and Market Intelligence Reports. The PMPRB also conducts public hearings and issues Voluntary Compliance Undertakings for non-compliant patentees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PMPRB Website Official web portal providing access to PMPRB regulatory information, filing systems, publications, and stakeholder resources including the online filing system for Form 2 submissions.
• Online Filing System (Form 2) Electronic submission portal for patentees to file Form 2 (Information on the Identity and Prices of the Medicine) as required under the Patented Medicines Regulations.
• PMPRB NEWSletter (La Nouvelle) Quarterly newsletter providing updates on PMPRB activities, regulatory changes, new publications, and announcements to stakeholders; published in English and French.
• Annual Reports Annual reports detailing PMPRB regulatory activities, patentees' compliance with pricing guidelines, sales and trends of patented drugs in Canada, and pharmaceutical R&D spending.
• NPDUIS Analytical Studies National Prescription Drug Utilization Information System (NPDUIS) analytical studies providing analyses of price, utilization and cost trends in prescription drugs in Canada; produced in collaboration with the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).
• Meds Pipeline Monitor Horizon scanning report featuring new medicines in late stages of clinical evaluation that may impact future clinical practice and drug spending in Canada.
• Meds Entry Watch Report exploring the market entry of new medicines in Canada and other countries.
• Biologics in Canada Report Report examining Canadian and international trends in sales, cost, use, and pricing of biologics as of the end of 2018.
• Market Intelligence Reports Reports analyzing specific therapeutic markets (e.g., combination inhalers for asthma) to provide insights into market trends and pricing.
• Human Drug Advisory Panel (HDAP) Expert panel providing therapeutic improvement assessments and comparator recommendations for new patented drug products undergoing scientific review by the PMPRB.

Quantifiable outcome

• Since PMPRB's creation in 1987, patented drug prices in Canada have remained comparable with other countries, and on average have not risen faster than inflation.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2001PMPRB collaborates with CIHI on the National Prescription Drug Utilization Information System (NPDUIS). This partnership provides analyses of price, utilization, and cost trends in prescription drugs to support Canada's health system with comprehensive information on drug usage and cost sources.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Health Canada: Health Canada is the Canadian federal department responsible for national health policy, including drug safety and efficacy approval. It is broadly comparable to PMPRB as both are Canadian federal bodies involved in pharmaceutical regulation, though Health Canada approves drugs for market entry while PMPRB regulates their ceiling prices.
• Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS): HAS is France's independent public authority that assesses the medical and economic value of health products and provides recommendations on reimbursement and pricing. It is broadly comparable to PMPRB as both conduct scientific and economic review of medicines to inform pricing decisions, with France also serving as one of PMPRB's seven international benchmark countries.
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE): NICE is the UK body that provides national guidance and cost-effectiveness recommendations on medicines and treatments used by the NHS. It is broadly comparable to PMPRB as both evaluate pharmaceutical value against public-payer affordability, though NICE operates within a single-payer system and uses cost-utility analysis rather than international price benchmarking.
• Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA): AIFA is Italy's national regulatory authority for pharmaceuticals, overseeing drug approval, pricing, and reimbursement. It is broadly comparable to PMPRB as both regulate patented drug prices within their national jurisdictions, with Italy also serving as one of PMPRB's seven international benchmark countries.

Direct peers

• Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH): CADTH is Canada's health technology assessment body that evaluates the clinical and cost-effectiveness of drugs and provides formulary listing recommendations to provincial payers. It is directly comparable to PMPRB as both are Canadian federal-level bodies that assess pharmaceutical value and pricing, though CADTH focuses on reimbursement recommendations while PMPRB regulates ceiling prices.
• Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG): IQWiG is Germany's independent scientific institute that evaluates the benefit and cost-effectiveness of medical interventions for the federal joint committee. It is directly comparable to PMPRB as both provide independent benefit assessments that inform drug pricing decisions, with Germany also serving as one of PMPRB's seven international benchmark countries.
• Pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA): pCPA is the coalition of Canadian provincial, territorial, and federal drug plans that negotiates drug prices on behalf of public payers. It is directly comparable to PMPRB as both entities shape Canadian patented drug prices through different mechanisms — pCPA through collective negotiation and PMPRB through quasi-judicial price ceilings.
• Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency (TLV): TLV is Sweden's government agency that determines whether a pharmaceutical or dental product should be subsidized and negotiates prices. It is directly comparable to PMPRB as both set or influence pricing of patented medicines within their respective national systems, with Sweden also serving as one of PMPRB's seven benchmark countries.
• Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC): PHARMAC is New Zealand's central government agency that decides which medicines are funded by the public health system and manages national pharmaceutical spending through price negotiation and tendering. It is directly comparable to PMPRB as both are government bodies that control patented drug pricing and utilization within their respective national systems.

Regional players

• Zorginstituut Nederland (ZIN): ZIN is the Netherlands' independent advisory body that assesses whether healthcare interventions, including medicines, should be included in the basic health insurance package. It is regionally comparable to PMPRB as both perform value-based assessments of patented medicines to inform pricing and reimbursement decisions in their respective national systems.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/PMPRB_CEPMB
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pmprb---patented-medicine-prices-review-board

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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