Medical fee increase could hurt your access to health products
Posted November 8, 2012 4:24 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Health Canada has increased licensing fees for companies which manufacture and/or sell medical devices. That means anything from a pillow to treat sleep apnea to pacemakers and scalpels.
These companies are required to renew their licence on an annual basis and the new regulations not only mean they have to pay more but they also need to file more paperwork.
In a letter written by LifeSciences BC President Don Enns to Health Canada he says this has all led to a miscommunication and several BC based medical companies are unable to pay the fees because their Canadian sales revenue is very low. He says the the increase occurred arbitrarily and without warning and for some this is an onerous burden.
Novation Medical is one of those companies and President Greg Hackonson says the licensing fee is more than they can handle.
“So we’ve had to cancel the license. We can sell the products but not in Canada,” says Hackonson
He says their product Trekke Lumbar Lift is used all around the world and has been considered a breakthrough in treating lower back pain.
“It impacts sufferers without a doubt, not having access to the device,” says Hackonson.
He says appeals to Health Canada have been ignored and many companies are giving up because they can’t afford to fight it.
In the letter Enns writes, nationally this sector represents approximately $6 billion in annual sales and employs over 35,000 people.
“If we can’t sell in Canada then potentially there could be loss of jobs,” says Hackonson.
Calls to Health Canada by News1130 have not been returned.
