Origins of the Market Access & Government Affairs Professional and of The Canadian Association for Healthcare Reimbursement (CAHR)

In the mid-to-late 1980s, many pharmaceutical companies began to realize the critical importance of approaching governments as customers, as they exerted tremendous influence over product listings and, to some extent, pricing. This moment marked a shift in the industry's approach and perspective, and companies began to develop the critical, dedicated professional roles of Market Access, Government Affairs, and Payer Relations.

Before this shift, companies engaging with government did so through VPs and senior managers of Marketing and Sales, and the approach often lacked the finesse and collaborative nature of today's professionals. In the 1980s, the roles of “Government Relations” and “Professional Affairs” were established and evolved in response to market needs and pressures, as well as political directions and their influences over the decade.

The Provincial Government and Professional Affairs (PG&PA) section of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Canada (PMAC) was created in 1989/1990. It consisted of individual company representatives in Provincial Government and Professional Affairs roles, and was the precursor of today's Healthcare Reimbursement Specialists/ Professionals. Shortly thereafter, most companies established similar positions, and PA&PG Quarterly Meetings and an Annual Conference were held through PMAC.

In parallel, during the 1990s the evolution of health technology accelerated – the Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment (CCOHTA), the Joint Oncology Drug Review (JODR) and eventually the development of the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health (CADTH) in the mid 2000s, now known as the Canadian Drug Agency(CDA) – and the function of market access within industry partners had become firmly entrenched. With this evolution, industry and payers recognized an increasing need for mutual dialogue to address issues common to all access stakeholders, including patient groups. From a recognition of these important changes in the biopharma industry CAHR was created.

Eventually, with changes at PMAC, the PA&PG section growing in numbers and independence, and the evolving expertise of HTA and listing negotiations, the PA&PG section of PMAC was disbanded. It was several years later when Tania McCloud approached Gregg Glenn and others about starting the Canadian Association for Healthcare Reimbursement (CAHR).

The 10 original members of the PA&PG section of PMAC



From left to right Back Row
Ron Veilleux: Abbott, Gregory Glenn: Cyanamid, Terry McCool: Eli Lilly, Ken Simms: Smith Kline,
l McDonald: Merck, Jean-Paul Marsan: Nordic

Front Row
Russell Duncan: Astra,  Ed Kvemshagen: Sandoz,  John Brennan: Dupont,  Dr. Murray Brown: Upjohn