Government of Canada signs pharmacare agreement with Manitoba to improve affordable access to medications

Press Release

February 27, 2025

No one should have to choose between paying for prescription drugs and putting food on the table. That’s why the Government of Canada is taking action so Canadians can get the medication they need, regardless of their ability to pay.

Today, the Honourable Mark Holland, Canada’s Minister of Health, announced a $267 million federal investment as part of two bilateral agreements to improve access to affordable medications for Manitobans.

Through this first-ever national pharmacare agreement, the Government of Canada will provide more than $219 million over four years for universal coverage to a range of contraceptives and diabetes medications for Manitobans. Through this historic agreement, Manitoba residents will receive this coverage at little to no direct cost to them. The funding from this agreement will also improve access to diabetes devices and supplies.

This will support the reproductive freedom of nearly 350,000 Manitobans and make sure that over 149,000 Manitobans with diabetes can access essential medications to reduce their risk of serious health complications and improve their quality of life.

As part of this agreement, Manitoba will also provide free public coverage of hormone replacement therapy to residents. This additional coverage is a significant step to improve health care for women and gender diverse people throughout their lifetimes.

Manitoba residents can anticipate beginning to receive coverage for the majority of these products in June 2025.

In addition, the Government of Canada will provide over $48 million to improve access to drugs for rare diseases, early diagnosis, and screening, to support the province in providing access under the National Strategy for Drugs for Rare Diseases.

Through this agreement, Manitoba will work with Canada and other provinces and territories (PTs) to develop and implement a plan for improved screening and diagnostics for rare diseases.

This is a monumental day for Canadian public health care and an important step forward to improve health equity, affordability and health outcomes for Canadians. The Government of Canada will continue working with PTs, Indigenous Peoples, partners and stakeholders to make sure every Canadian has access to essential medications and medical devices they need.

Quotes

“This first national pharmacare agreement with Manitoba is a landmark step in the journey to build the public healthcare system that Canadians deserve. This is about building a stronger, healthier Canada so that no matter where you live or how much you make, you are covered.”

The Honourable Mark Holland
Minister of Health

“Health care should be based on need, not the ability to pay. Manitobans have long fought for this principle, from the early days of Medicare to expanding access and lowering costs for families. This agreement builds on that legacy. It makes contraceptives and diabetes medications free and expands access to life-saving treatments for rare diseases, making sure cost is never a barrier to care.”

The Honourable Terry Duguid
Minister responsible for PrairiesCan

Quick facts

In 2021, Statistics Canada found that one in five adults in Canada did not have the insurance they needed to cover their medication costs.
On October 10, 2024, the Pharmacare Act received Royal Assent and immediately came into force. The Minister of Health will continue working with PTs to reach bilateral agreements to provide universal, single-payer, first-dollar access to a range of contraception and diabetes medications as the first phase of national universal pharmacare.
In March 2023, the Government of Canada announced an investment of up to $1.5 billion over three years to support the National Strategy for Drugs for Rare Diseases, including up to $1.4 billion for bilateral agreements with PTs to help patients with rare diseases have access to treatments as early as possible, for better quality of life.
Innovative treatments for rare diseases can cost anywhere from $100,000 to more than $4 million per year.
Since July 2024, the Government of Canada has announced seven bilateral agreements for Drugs for Rare Diseases worth more than $1 billion over three years.
The five drugs covered through the Manitoba agreement under the National Strategy for Drugs for Rare Diseases are:
- Poteligeo, for the treatment of mycosis fungoides or Sézary syndrome;
- Oxlumo, for the treatment of primary hyperoxaluria type 1;
- Epkinly, for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma;
- Welireg, for the treatment of von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease; and,
- Yescarta, for the treatment of follicular lymphoma, large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL); and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and high-grade B-cell lymphoma (HGBL).
The names of other drugs on the common list are published online on a drug-by-drug basis following the conclusion of the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance price negotiations for each drug.

Government of Canada signs pharmacare agreement with Manitoba to improve affordable access to medications

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