National Bulk Purchasing Strategy Advisory Panel 

A time-limited advisory panel has been formed to prepare a list of essential prescription drugs, and related products when appropriate, to inform the development of a national formulary. The panel is composed of 12 members, including 2 co-chairs. Members represent diverse perspectives across gender, race, culture, and geographic regions in Canada.  

The group is tasked with developing a list of recommended essential prescription drugs and related products across various therapeutic classes, focusing on those that have been proven to be safe, effective, and cost-effective. The group is also responsible for delivering a report that outlines the methodology used to determine the list, including the assessment and selection  criteria, which could guide future updates to the list in a consistent manner. This work contributes to the federal government’s broader efforts in developing national pharmacare.  

Panel Chair

Diane McArthur

Diane McArthur is a retired Ontario public servant. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Ontario Financing Authority (Chair, Human Resources and Governance Committee, member Audit and Risk Management Committee) and at Belmont House, a charitable, nonprofit home for older adults offering long-term care and retirement living (Chair, Quality and Risk Committee). She also Chairs the Procedural Review Panel for Canada’s Drug Agency and was a member of the Pan-Canadian Advisory Panel on a Framework for a Prescription Drug List.

Prior to her retirement, Diane held a number of senior executive positions, including the first ever Chief Talent Officer and Associate Deputy Minister of the Ontario Public Service, Executive Lead for the Secretariat supporting the Premier’s Advisory Council on Government Assets, Assistant Deputy Minister and Executive Officer of Ontario Public Drug Programs.

Diane has a Bachelor of Public Relations from Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax and an MBA from the University of Ottawa. She received her ICD.D designation in June 2018.  

Diane McArthur is the Chair of the CDA-AMC Procedural Review Panel.  

(Conflict of Interest Disclosure dated November 2024)

Members

Nancy Giovinazzo

Nancy Giovinazzo is a retired hospital pharmacist with a wealth of experience in pharmacy services. Most recently, she served as Interim Vice-President of Pharmacy Services at HealthPRO Canada, the country’s national procurement services organization for health care. In this role, she oversaw pharmacy hospital contracts and led various initiatives. Prior to her time at HealthPRO, Nancy spent 29 years in hospital pharmacy, progressing from staff pharmacist to Director of Pharmacy at a community hospital. A dedicated member of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists, she has a strong interest in systems that enhance medication safety.  

Nancy Giovinazzo was previously employed by HealthPRO Canada and has recently retired (within the past 2 years).  

(Conflict of Interest Disclosure dated November 2024)

Peter Hardwick

Peter Hardwick is a pharmaceutical executive with over 30 years of experience across more than 100 countries, including leadership roles in Canada, the US, Europe, the Middle East, and LATAM. He served as EVP Global Chief Commercial Officer Apotex Inc. and President/CEO at Apotex Corp., and worked with Mepha Pharmaceutical in Basel, Switzerland. Peter has expertise in the brand, generic, and branded generic sectors, with a focus on P&L management, sales, marketing, and portfolio launches.

His primary customers included decision-makers in pharmacies, wholesalers, hospitals, GPOs, and payors, both private and public. Peter is passionate about affordable, sustainable health care and the development of future leaders.

Peter holds a BSc from St. Mary's University, Nova Scotia, and completed an Executive Leadership Program at Ashridge University, UK. Now retired, he founded Hardwick Healthcare Consulting, advising on portfolio and life cycle management. He enjoys hockey, curling, and an active lifestyle.       

Peter Hardwick was recently employed by Hardwick Healthcare. He also recently retired (within the past 2 years) from Apotex Canada and has declared current financial interests.    

(Conflict of Interest Disclosure dated January 2025)

John Helou

John Helou is a seasoned biopharmaceutical and biotech industry executive with over 37 years of experience. He was a member of the Board of Directors of Starpax Biopharma from May 2022 until October 2024. Prior to retirement in 2020, he was President of Pfizer Canada for 8 years and Chair of the Board of Directors for Pfizer Canada and the Canadian Hospira Healthcare Corporation (following the acquisition) until retirement. Throughout his tenure, John was known for his strategic vision in health care and leadership development. He has been a strong advocate for the life sciences sector and health care delivery with government and policy-makers to establish operating environments that are globally competitive in Canada. 

John was also Chair and later Vice Chair to the Board of Directors of Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC), member of the Board of Directors of BIOTECanada, a member of the Business Council of Canada, as well as Chair and Board member of the Advanced Coronary Treatment (ACT) Foundation.

He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto.  

John Helou previously participated (May 2022 to October 2024) as a board member of Starpax Biopharma.  

(Conflict of Interest Disclosure dated December 2024)

Dr. Michael Law

Michael Law is the Canada Research Chair in Access to Medicines at the University of British Columbia. His research focuses on pharmaceutical policy, the affordability of prescription drugs, and the use of administrative data for policy evaluation across numerous topic areas. His research has been published in leading medical and health policy journals and has received significant media coverage. His interactions with policy-makers at the federal and provincial levels have informed several significant policy changes that improved access to medicines and reduced drug expenditures in Canada.  

Dr. Michael Law has participated in the CDA-AMC Post-Market Drug Evaluation program. He has received payment as an advisor or consultant from Health Canada, iTAD Limited, Federation of Post-Secondary Educators, and Durham Police Association.  

(Conflict of Interest Disclosure dated December 2024)

Kim MacFarlane

Kim MacFarlane retired after a 37-year career in the insurance industry.

As Vice-President, Group Benefits at Manulife, she was responsible for developing the pharmacy benefits strategy and overseeing the team executing the strategy. A key element of this strategy was to balance access to innovative new medicines with cost-management interventions. Through industry research and stakeholder discussions, a program was developed that was groundbreaking and changed the group benefits industry’s approach to formulary listing decisions, enabling negotiations with brand pharmaceutical companies while delivering savings to employers and covered patients.

Throughout her career, Kim had the opportunity to participate in industry forums and government consultations related to innovative medicines and patient access. Kim is a graduate of McGill University, Biological Sciences.  

Kim MacFarlane was previously employed by Manulife Financial and has recently retired (within the past 2 years). 

(Conflict of Interest Disclosure dated December 2024)

Kevin O’Connor

Kevin O’Connor recently retired from Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicines after a 33-year career.

Kevin held roles in sales and marketing, business development, and reimbursement.  With reimbursement making up more than 20 years of his career, Kevin has worked with both public and private payors negotiating product listing agreements, he has experience in delivery channels of medications to Canadians, contributed to the development of data specific to reimbursement, and he has been a contributor to work in health policy.  

Kevin O’Connor was previously employed by Johnson & Johnson Inc. and has recently retired (within the past 2 years).  

(Conflict of Interest Disclosure dated November 2024)

Joan Paulin

Joan Paulin is a mother of 2 adult daughters. Her younger daughter has complex, but not uncommon, medical issues that require ongoing monitoring. Her older daughter was diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension in 2014 at the age of 24. Joan’s journey as a patient advocate started out of her desire to better understand our health care system, specifically the drug development and approval processes.

Joan is the Board Chair of Pulmonary Hypertension Association of Canada (PHA Canada). She is a Board Member at the Canadian Association for Population Therapeutics, and a patient representative on the CDA-AMC PMDE Advisory Committee. Joan has participated in numerous consultations, including Dr. Eric Hoskin’s National Pharmacare Consultation in 2018, the CADTH Best Brains Exchange in 2021, and drafting submissions to Health Canada (Rare Disease Strategy) and the PMPRB. Joan has seen how unequal or delayed medication access can seriously impact both the quality and length of patients’ lives, and she is committed to trying to level the playing field.

Joan has an MBA in Finance, has been an active volunteer for many years, and has held executive positions on several not-for-profit boards.  

Joan Paulin is a member of the CDA-AMC Post-Market Drug Evaluation Program Advisory Committee. She is the current board chair of Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) Canada and has received travel or other expense payments. She is also a current board member of the Canadian Association for Population Therapeutics (CAPT). She also participated recently in speaking engagements about various rare disease-related topics at the Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders conferences, the CAPT conferences, and Institute of Health Economic (IHE) events.  

(Conflict of Interest Disclosure dated November 2024)

Dr. Adil Virani

Dr. Adil Virani has been a Director and Manager of Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services for Fraser Health and a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia for over 18 years. He has overseen the pharmacy operations, both clinical and distribution of medications, at several large urban hospitals, community hospitals and a large outpatient facility in British Columbia. He has been a voting member of the Human Drug Advisory Panel (HDAP) of the Patented Medicine Price Review Board (PMPRB) since 2008. He has also been a voting member for the Canadian Drug Expert Committee (CDEC) for 11 years.  

Dr. Adil Virani has participated in the CDA-AMC Scientific Advice Program and is a member of the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board Human Drug Advisory Panel.  

(Conflict of Interest Disclosure dated November 2024)