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Provincial and NIHB Formulary Publishing Dates

Single-Source Drug Products | Interchangeable Products

Listing Process Summary Table for Interchangeable Products
Region	Formulary Name	Review by Independent Committee[1]	Formulary Publishing Dates and Deadlines
Region	Formulary Name	Review by Independent Committee[1]	Publishing Dates & Updates	Submission Deadlines
BC	PharmaCare does not have an established benefit list of products eligible for coverage and instead has a dynamic formulary (PharmaNet)[2].	BC Drug Benefit Council	PharmaNet is updated with interchangeable products approximately once a month, although there is no official schedule. New products added to the Low Cost Alternative (LCA)/Reference Drug Program (RDP) are published routinely (approximately once a month) in the PharmaCare Newsletter. The Low-Cost Alternative Program/Reference Drug Program Booklet is updated, theoretically, every 6 months.	None
AB	Alberta Health & Wellness Drug Benefit List (DBL) Alberta Employment, Immigration and Industry Drug Benefit Supplement Palliative Care Drug Benefit Supplement	Alberta Health and Wellness Expert Committee on Drug Evaluation and Therapeutics	February 1, 2012 March 1, 2012 May 1, 2012 June 1, 2012 July 1, 2012 August 1, 2012 September 1, 2012 October 1, 2012 November 1, 2012 December 1, 2012	December 1, 2011 January 23, 2012 March 26, 2012 April 24, 2012 May 25, 2012 June 25, 2012 July 25, 2012 August 27, 2012 September 24, 2012 October 25, 2012 These deadlines are for expedited reviews of interchangeable drug products. Deadlines for non-expedited review are the same as those for single-source submissions
SK	Saskatchewan Formulary	Drug Advisory Committee of Saskatchewan	The Formulary[3] is published once a year in July and updated monthly. Pharmacies will be notified of the new listings via the Drug Plan Pharmacy Bulletin.	None. Submissions are generally reviewed in order of receipt.
MB	Manitoba Drug Benefit List & Interchangeability Formulary[4]	Manitoba Drug Standards and Therapeutics Committee	Additions to the Benefit List3 and Formulary are sent out approximately every 3 to 4 months through Bulletins, unless significant savings are apparent, during which additions will be sped up. Pharmacies are given notification of additions to the benefit list at least a month prior to the legislation change.	None. Submissions are generally reviewed in order of receipt.
ON	Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary/ Comparative Drug Index	Committee to Evaluate Drugs	Monthly[5]	SD for 2012, before 3:30 pm: Jan. 4, Feb. 1, Mar. 7, Apr. 4, May 2, June 6, July 4, Aug. 1, Sept. 5, Oct. 3, Nov. 5, Dec. 7
QC	Liste de médicaments	Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux	February 1, 2012 U March 15, 2012 U April 2012 U June 1, 2012 U July 16, 2012 U October 1, 2012 U November 15, 2012 U	October 21, 2011 December 2, 2011 To be determined February 17, 2012 March 30, 2012 June 15, 2012 July 27, 2012
NB	New Brunswick Prescription Drug Program Formulary (NBPDP Formulary) New Brunswick Formulary (NB Formulary)[6]	New Brunswick Product Selection Committee	The NB Formulary is published annually in June. Bulletins announcing additions to the Formulary are sent out on an ad hoc basis. NBPDP Formulary3 updates are published as required and will include interchangeable drug products as needed.	None. Submissions are generally reviewed in order of receipt.
NS	Nova Scotia Formulary	The Drugs and Therapeutics Committee	The NS Formulary3 is updated approximately four times a year and, at this time, any interchangeable products approved since the last Formulary update will be added.	None. Complete submissions are generally reviewed in order of receipt. However, submissions must be received at least four weeks in advance of the next Drugs and Therapeutics Committee meeting to ensure inclusion in the next available meeting. The next committee meeting date is scheduled for: Feb. 8, 2012
PEI	PEI Drug Programs Formulary	PEI Pharmacy Advisory Committee	The Maximum Allowable Cost list is updated approximately every end of February and the middle of August, after which, by virtue, the new generics are added to the Formulary3. It is very seldom that the Formulary is updated at other times except during these two months.	None. Complete submissions are generally reviewed in order of receipt.
NL	NLPDP Benefit Listing NL Interchangeable Drug Products Formulary (NIDPF)	Newfoundland and Labrador Interchangeability Drug Products Formulary Advisory Committee	The NIDPF is officially published in April and October. Interchangeable products are usually added to the Benefit Listing3 twice a year after the January and July updates to the NIDPF. Additional supplements are added to the NIDPF as requests for new products are received and approved, and the Benefit Listing will be updated as required.	Thursday, August 18, 2011 Thursday, October 13, 2011
NIHB	NIHB Drug Benefit List	Internal committee	The Benefit List3 is published once a year in April, with updates generally provided every three months.	None. Complete submissions are generally reviewed in order of receipt.

[1] All provinces require that drugs considered for benefit approval must first be licensed for sale in Canada by the Health Protection Branch of Health Canada

[2] Apart from an exception list, PharmaCare covers all products, although not all are fully paid benefits under the Low Cost Alternative (LCA) Program and Reference Drug Program (RDP).

[3] Please refer to Table 4. Listing Process Summary Table for Single-Source Drug Products for formulary publishing dates and deadlines of benefit lists.

[4] The Manitoba Drug Interchangeability Formulary is a list of interchangeable drugs, their categories and prices; it is not a benefit list.

[5] Given the short submission review cycle, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care will no longer accept Priority Review requests for ANY multiple source products (streamlined and non-streamlined submissions).

[6] The New Brunswick Formulary is a listing of interchangeable pharmaceutical products published by the Product Selection Committee. It is not a benefit formulary.