The Best Medicines Coalition (BMC) is a broad-based alliance of organizations and individuals with a shared vision of equitable and consistent access for all Canadians to safe, effective and good quality drugs which improve patient outcomes. Within this context, the BMC’s areas of interest span from approval and reimbursement through patient safety concerns. 

As an important aspect of its work, the BMC strives to ensure that Canadian patients have a voice and are meaningful participants in health care policy development and pharmaceutical review. As a patient-driven organization, the BMC represents millions of Canadians living with or affected by chronic disease or illness.  The BMC is both an unincorporated and non-profit organization.

Mission
The Best Medicines Coalition (BMC) is committed to ensuring that all Canadians have safe and timely access to medications that have been shown, based on best available evidence, to improve outcomes for patients.

Goals
Through ethical partnerships between the BMC, provincial and federal governments, non-profit and private sectors and other relevant stakeholders, including disability and disease groups, our goals are to:

• Strengthen drug review and post-marketing safety surveillance systems to ensure that patients have timely access and comprehensive knowledge of risks and benefits throughout the life cycle of each drug.
  
• Establish an effective pan-Canadian drug system which provides an appropriate standard of efficient, equitable and consistent access throughout the country.
• Implement effective models for meaningful and equitable participation of patients in drug reviews and general health policy development
• Further public awareness of relevant issues within the BMC Mission.

Structure
The BMC is comprised of representatives from a broad range of patient/consumer groups as well as individuals living with or affected by chronic disease. Together, these representatives form a Steering Committee from which an Operations Committee, including a Chair and Vice Chair, are elected annually. The Operations Committee oversees all BMC activities, including developing policy positions and representing the organization at consultations and other meetings. Members from both the Steering Committee and the Operations Committee form smaller Working Groups, which work on specific issues.

All members meet twice a year, including an in-person Annual General Meeting held in the Fall and a separate meeting, often a conference call, in the Spring. Numerous other issue-specific meetings and conference calls are held throughout the year as needed, including regular, bi-weekly Operations Committee conference calls to plan day-to-day activities and Working Group calls for specific issues.

Operations Committee 2010-2011

Member Organizations & Individual Members
Arthritis Consumer Experts - www.jointhealth.org
Asthma Society of Canada - www.asthma.ca
CARP, A New Vision of Aging for Canada - www.carp.ca
Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance - www.arthritispatient.ca
Canadian Association of Wound Care - www.cawc.net
Canadian Breast Cancer Network - www.cbcn.ca
Canadian Cancer Action Network - www.ccanceraction.ca
Canadian Hemophilia Society - www.hemophilia.ca
Canadian Pain Society - www.canadianpainsociety.ca
Canadian Skin Patient Alliance - www.skinpatientalliance.ca
Canadian Treatment Action Council - www.ctac.ca
Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada - www.canceradvocacy.ca
Centre for ADD/ADHD Advocacy Canada - www.caddac.ca
Creating Synergy Health Coalition of Alberta
Epilepsy Ontario - www.epilepsyontario.org
Gastrointestinal Society - www.badgut.org
Hepatitis C Council of British Columbia - www.bchepcouncil.ca
Kidney Cancer Canada - www.kidneycancercanada.org
Lymphoma Foundation Canada - www.lymphoma.ca
Osteoporosis Canada - www.osteoporosis.ca
Ovarian Cancer Canada - www.ovariancanada.org
Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada - www.tourette.ca
Lembi Buchanan, Individual Member
Dr. Katharina Kovacs Burns, Individual Member
Maureen Gatz-Faubert, Individual Member
Marjorie Harris, Individual Member
Lisa Mortell, Individual Member
Linda Wilhelm, Individual Member

BMC is a member of the International Alliance of Patients' Organizations (IAPO) - www.patientsorganizations.org

Membership
To become a member of BMC, complete and submit this form (Word document). There is no set fee, but a voluntary, annual membership contribution is requested.

Financial Support
As outlined in our Funding Statement (PDF file), the BMC receives financial support through private and public sources, as well as through member contributions. Our Terms of Reference (PDF file) outlines our Principles and Codes for Ethical Conduct and Partnerships.

A grassroots organization, all BMC members are volunteers, with two staff members supporting their work. There is no set member fee, but a voluntary, annual membership contribution is requested. In addition, some member organizations appoint a staff representative, and this expertise is viewed as in-kind support.

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