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Joel Lexchin

Professor Emeritus of Health Policy and Management, York University, Emergency Physician at University Health Network, Associate Professor of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto

Dr. Lexchin has been writing and publishing about pharmaceutical policy issues for the past 30 years. He is the author or co-author of over 140 peer-reviewed papers on a wide range of topics in this area, including: drug regulation, pharmacosurveillance, drug promotion, research and development, access to medications in developing countries and physician prescribing behaviour. He has been a consultant on these and other issues to the Ontario provincial government, various parts of the Canadian federal government, the government of New Zealand, the Australian National Prescribing Service and the World Health Organization.

High drug prices in Canada are just one side of a bad equation

Jul 18, 2023 07:59 am UTC| Insights & Views

The Canadian health-care system is under pressure as service levels decline while costs escalate. Drugs are one of our largest health-care expenditures. A federal agency, the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB),...

Opioid marketing to Canadian doctors hyped benefits, downplayed harms

Mar 10, 2020 11:54 am UTC| Health

Between January 2016 and June 2019 there were over 13,900 deaths from opioid overdoses in Canada, 4,500 of which occurred in 2018. Based on information to date, 2019 is likely to have a similar mortality rate. Most deaths...

Leave the patchwork to the quilts: The case for pharmacare

Aug 26, 2019 04:23 am UTC| Insights & Views Health

On August 15, 2019, more than 1,200 academics, including me, with expertise in health care signed a letter to the leaders of Canadas federal political parties. The letter called on them to commit to a national pharmacare...

Health Canada and Big Pharma: Too close for comfort

Aug 15, 2019 17:54 pm UTC| Insights & Views Business

Over the past few decades its become common practice for drug companies and drug regulators, such as Health Canada, to sit down together at what are called pre-submission meetings. These are get-togethers where both...

Why Big Pharma must disclose payments to patient groups

Jan 14, 2019 10:58 am UTC| Insights & Views Health Business Law

A United States congressional report revealed last year that five opioid manufacturers made more than $10 million in payments to patient advocacy groups and professional societies between 2012 and 2017. Initiatives from...

We need answers to the thalidomide tragedy – to ensure drug safety today

Oct 28, 2018 13:25 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

In 2015, after decades of fruitless lobbying, Canadian survivors of thalidomide finally received compensation from the federal government. The drug was a supposedly mild sleeping pill, a wonder drug that helped pregnant...

NAFTA negotiations may threaten pharmacare

Sep 10, 2018 13:50 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

Around 91 per cent of Canadians want a national pharmacare plan, according to a recent national poll, so they dont have to choose between buying groceries or paying for drugs to keep them healthy. The same public...

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Economy

Trump and Xi Temple of Heaven Visit Highlights Trade and Diplomacy Goals

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to meet at Beijings historic Temple of Heaven, a symbolic location tied to Chinas imperial past and agricultural prosperity. The visit, scheduled during...

US Stock Futures Slip as Iran Tensions and Hot Inflation Data Pressure Wall Street

U.S. stock index futures edged lower Tuesday night as investors reacted to escalating geopolitical tensions involving Iran and stronger-than-expected inflation data that weighed heavily on Wall Street sentiment. Concerns...

Gold Prices Hold Steady as Investors Monitor U.S.-Iran Tensions and Trump-Xi Summit

Gold prices remained mostly stable during Asian trading on Wednesday as investors stayed cautious amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and concerns over persistent U.S. inflation. Market participants closely watched...

Oil Prices Slip as Strait of Hormuz Disruptions and U.S. Inventory Data Keep Markets on Edge

Oil prices eased slightly during Asian trading on Wednesday after posting strong gains for three consecutive sessions. Investors continued to monitor the ongoing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz while also assessing the...

Dollar Surges as Inflation Data Fuels Fed Rate Hike Expectations

The U.S. dollar recorded its strongest performance in nearly two weeks after hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data increased expectations that the Federal Reserve could maintain higher interest rates for longer. The...

Politics

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to Join Trump’s China Visit Amid AI Chip Tensions

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is expected to join a group of top American business leaders accompanying U.S. President Donald Trump during his upcoming visit to China, according to two Reuters sources familiar with the matter....

US, Japan Reaffirm Strong Currency Coordination Amid Yen Volatility

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama reaffirmed strong cooperation on foreign exchange policy during meetings in Tokyo, signaling continued coordination to address excessive...

Rubio Discusses Iran Crisis and Strait of Hormuz Disruptions With UK and Australia

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held separate discussions on Monday with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper regarding the escalating Iran conflict and the ongoing...

Trump Says Iran Ceasefire ‘On Life Support’ as Oil Prices Surge Above $104

Hopes for a peace deal between the United States and Iran weakened Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump said the fragile ceasefire was on life support following Tehrans rejection of a U.S.-backed proposal aimed at...

Israel Approves Special Military Tribunal for Hamas October 7 Attack Suspects

Israels parliament has approved a new law establishing a special military tribunal to prosecute Palestinian militants involved in the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. The legislation, passed late Monday by a...

Science

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

Technology

Samsung Shares Slide as Wage Talks Collapse, Raising Strike Fears

Samsung Electronics shares fell sharply on Wednesday after negotiations between the company and its largest labour union failed to produce a wage agreement, increasing concerns over a possible large-scale strike that could...

Arteris Stock Surges After Strong Q1 Earnings Beat and Higher 2026 Outlook

Arteris Inc. (NASDAQ: AIP) shares surged in after-hours trading on Tuesday after the semiconductor software company reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter 2026 earnings and raised its full-year revenue forecast. The...

Anthropic Eyes $300M Stainless Acquisition Amid Enterprise AI Expansion

Anthropic is reportedly in advanced discussions to acquire developer tools startup Stainless in a deal valued at more than $300 million, according to a report from The Information. The potential acquisition highlights the...

Kuaishou Stock Jumps on Kling AI IPO Plans and $20 Billion Valuation

Kuaishou Technology (HK:1024) shares surged on Tuesday after reports revealed that the Chinese short-video giant is considering spinning off its Kling artificial intelligence video generation business. The news boosted...

GOP Lawmakers Probe Sam Altman and OpenAI Ahead of Potential IPO

Republican lawmakers and several Republican state attorneys general are increasing scrutiny of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over concerns tied to the companys governance and business relationships ahead of a possible OpenAI IPO,...