Although the time taken to approve new drugs in Canada has decreased considerably since the early 1990s, approval continues to take longer than in countries that take comparable approaches. Nigel Rawson draws this conclusion after comparing the application and approval dates of 219 new drugs in Canada, Australia, Sweden, the UK and the US during 1996-1998. Canada's median drug approval time of 518 days was similar to that of Australia (526 days), but it was significantly longer than median times in Sweden (371), the UK (308) and the US (369).
Rawson concludes that even though the length of the approval process may be affected by numerous factors, these times should be reasonably similar in countries with similar scientific approaches to drug approval, such as those considered in this study.
Time required for approval of new drugs in Canada, Australia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States in 1996-1998 - Nigel S.B. Rawson
Journal
Canadian Medical Association Journal