Ottawa Notebook
Tories back call to develop national drug strategy
Government signals willingness to work with provinces, territories and industry as hospitals make tough surgical decisions amid drug shortages
HEALTH CARE
In Alberta, pharmacists have a bitter pill to dispense
Albertans will now go to the local drugstore for basic medical advice and prescription renewals, as pharmacists fear they're being cut out of front-line health care
Health care
When emotion prevails over cold, hard science in public policy
Exceptionalism helps explain why mass breast cancer screening persists despite evidence it does more harm than good
Drug companies watching India’s drug patent case
Top court ruling on dispute between pharma giant Novartis and government will have major impact on country’s booming generic industry
The soul-destroying search for a family doctor
Months of searching the Internet, calling doctors’ offices and bugging friends for referrals came to nothing. No one was taking patients
Canadian health officials create care guidelines for newcomers
A group of practitioners and activists have come together to create a set of recommendations specifically for refugees and immigrants
Big Pharma wants to ‘friend’ you
Drug makers are using social media to market their products in ways that the brand affiliation is not always obvious
Ottawa to fund clinical trials for controversial MS treatment
Despite evidence that casts doubt on procedure’s effectiveness, panel of experts pushed for trials
Court decision on one man’s fate renews debate over end-of-life care
Doctors can’t decide to take patients off life support without consent, Ontario judges rule
Drug production
Backbencher law illuminates tough battle against synthetic drugs
Police praise legislation that makes it a crime to possess tools for making crystal meth and ecstasy
