Prescription drug program – Reviews and approvals

Drug review process

Alberta's drug review process is described in detail in Section 1 of the Alberta Health and Wellness Drug Benefit List.

• Read more on the Alberta Health and Wellness Drug Benefit List
• Read the Drug Benefit List

Alberta is a participant in the national Common Drug Review. The Common Drug Review (CDR) is a single process for reviewing new drugs and providing listing recommendations to participating publicly funded drug benefit plans in Canada. The CDR consists of:

• A systematic review of the available clinical evidence and a review of the pharmaco-economic evaluation; and
• A listing recommendation made by the Canadian Expert Drug Advisory Committee (CEDAC).

Alberta's Expert Committee on Drug Evaluation and Therapeutics (ECDET) must review all drug products not eligible for review by CDR. It provides advice and recommendations to the Minister concerning the therapeutic value and cost-effectiveness of the drugs.

The Minister of Health and Wellness makes the final decisions on the changes to the Alberta Health and Wellness Drug Benefit List based on a number of considerations, including recommendations from CEDAC or ECDET.

• Read the drug approval process fact sheet
• Alberta Pharmaceutical Strategy