Ottawa, May 26, 2025 – Innovative Medicines Canada welcomes the launch of CanReview, a pan-Canadian initiative supported by the Accelerating Clinical Trials (ACT) Consortium. This national collaboration represents a major advancement in strengthening the clinical trials environment through the creation of a single research ethics review system for multi-site clinical trials conducted across Canada.
Clinical trials are critical to Canada’s research and healthcare ecosystem. They provide early access to innovative medicines and vaccines for patients and are a key component of health and economic security.
Despite having world-class talent and research institutions, Canada faces ongoing delays in clinical trial start-up due to the current system requiring separate ethics approvals across jurisdictions. This fragmentation undermines our competitiveness and limits patient access to promising therapies.
CanReview addresses these challenges by offering a centralized, high-quality ethics review that applies to all sites involved in a trial, helping reduce duplication, speed up trial initiation, and maintain rigorous ethical standards. The system will support both national and local review needs and streamline communication among research ethics boards. It will also make Canada a more attractive place for trial launches and contribute to the country’s leadership in life sciences.
About Innovative Medicines Canada
Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC) is the national association representing Canada’s innovative pharmaceutical industry. The industry proudly supports more than 110,000 jobs, contributes a total of $18.4 billion to the economy, sponsors the majority of clinical trials in Canada, and invests close to $3.2 billion in research and development each year. IMC advocates for policies that enable the discovery, development, and delivery of innovative medicines and vaccines to improve the lives of all Canadians. The association and its members are committed to being solutions-oriented partners in Canada’s healthcare system and have contributed more than $30 million towards applied health systems research through the Health Research Foundation (HRF). Guided by the Code of Ethical Practices, all members work with governments, private payers, healthcare professionals, and stakeholders in a highly ethical manner.
For further information:
Media Relations
E-mail: media@imc-mnc.ca
