News and Events

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Our previous issues of the newsletter are available here:

Chronic Disease Management: A Danish Perspective Webinar

On May 9th 2023, the Royal Embassy of Denmark and Healthcare  DENMARK co-hosted a webinar about the Danish approach to chronic disease prevention and management. 

Innovative Approaches to the Use of Health Data- Best Practice Sharing Between Denmark, Canada and Quebec

On June 9th and 10th, 2022, the Danish Life Sciences Forum, the Royal Danish Embassy and the Trade Council of Denmark hosted two roundtables with a focus on health data. On June 9th, stakeholders from Quebec and Denmark met, while participants on June 10th included participants on a federal level from Canada. Both discussions resulted in a rich dialogue that we hope will continue, as these interactions on an international level provide an excellent opportunity to share best practices and strengthen global collaboration.

As the use of health data will be an increasingly integral part of health care, we invite you to read the outcomes report from these discussions to learn more about the Danish approach as well as the considerations about the future of health care from the perspectives of Denmark, Canada as a whole as well as Quebec. The outcomes report is accessible here.

Digital Health Delegation

On October 20, 2020, The Danish Life Sciences Forum, Royal Danish Embassy and Healthcare Denmark hosted a Digital Health Delegation.  This delegation provided an opportunity for Canadian and Danish government and health care sector stakeholders to exchange ideas and best practices on acceleration of health system innovation. Denmark is one of the world’s most digitized countries. Its world leading digital health solutions were built through strong public-private partnerships and a supportive policy and business environment that enabled innovation and integration of many of these digital tools into the health system. The ultimate aim of the digital delegation was to help build bridges and catalyse collaboration between our two countries.

The event featured a number of presentations from Danish officials, private sector representatives, and other healthcare leaders on key aspects of the Danish healthcare system, followed by a moderated Q&A session. A number of themes emerged throughout the discussions (covered in greater detail below), including: (1) Trust (2) Everything Digital (3) Public-Private Partnership (4) A Constant Journey.  For further details, we invite you to read the Outcomes Report from the event.

Read more here.

Health Roundtables in Ottawa and Toronto

On May 8th, 2019, the Royal Danish Embassy and Trade Council hosted a roundtable discussion at the Danish Ambassador’s Residence in Ottawa with high-level stakeholders from government, industry, not-for-profit and academia to exchange ideas and best practices on how to build a thriving life sciences sector. The keynote speaker, Mr. Kasper Lindgaard, Head of Division at Denmark’s Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, discussed the shared belief in Denmark that ‘health is wealth’ and what it means to support growth in the life sciences sector.

The keynote presentation can be found here.

The following day, we ventured back to Toronto to hold another roundtable with provincial stakeholders to help exchange ideas and best practices on how Ontario can develop a digital health strategy to help improve the speed and efficiency of care for Ontarians by drawing on experiences from other successful jurisdictions, including Denmark. The discussions covered a range of thematic areas, including:

• The role of data and connectivity in the health system
• The importance of public-private sector collaboration in digital transformation
• Considerations for developing a digital health strategy.

Mr. Kasper Lindgaard provided the first keynote where he shared aspects of ‘Digital Denmark’ and how digitization has formed the underpinning of a strong healthcare system. Mr. Lingaard’s keynote presentation can be found here. Ms. Fredrika Scarth, Director of the Secretariat to the Premier’s Council on Improving Healthcare and Ending Hallway Medicine in Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, provided the second keynote, where she provided an overview of where the province was at with respect to its mission to end hallway medicine and create more value in the healthcare system. 

The Danish Life Sciences Forum plans to organize subsequent forums in 2019 to dive into greater details on some of the themes that emerged from the two roundtables. 

Outcomes Report for May 8th Roundtable on Best Practices on How to Build a Thriving Life Sciences Sector can be found here.

Outcomes Report for May 9th Roundtable on Access to Data and Connectivity in Healthcare – Lessons from Denmark can be found here.

Growing the Life Sciences Industry: Improving Access, Affordability & Appropriate Use of Medicines

On September 25, 2018, a moderated discussion took place in Ottawa to look at examples from Canada and Denmark on approaches for improving affordability of and access to innovative medicines, while at the same time growing the knowledge-based economy. The event was moderated by Ilse Treurnicht, Former CEO, MaRS Discovery District and opening remarks were delivered by the Danish Ambassador to Canada, Thomas Winkler. Panellists included Hans Erik Henriksen, CEO Healthcare Denmark, Brian Hilberdink, President, Novo Nordisk Canada Inc., and Sheryl Groeneweg, Director General, Manufacturing & Life Sciences Branch Innovation, Sciences and Economic Development Canada.

Click here to watch the full event and discussion.

Denmark Launches a Life Sciences Growth Plan

Denmark has launched a new Life Sciences Growth Plan, which aims to strengthen one of Denmark's leading industries. The plan includes 36 initiatives, targeting barriers and opportunities for the industry across the entire value chain. Although Danish life sciences companies are already leading in global markets, there is general recognition that in order to remain competitive, it requires a constant focus on strengthening innovation, research, and product development.

Protecting Patient Access to Innovative Medicines Amid Trade Tensions: A Submission on Countermeasures to U.S. Tariffs on Canadian Goods

March 26th, 2025
 
Submitted to the Department of Finance Canada.

Please access the document here.

Considerations for National Pharmacare: Reflections from Denmark and Canada on Achieving Health and Economic Growth

October 8th, 2024
 
Submitted to the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, Senate of Canada, in regards to bill C-64.

Please access the document here.

PMPRB Interim Guidelines;

July 18th, 2022
 
Please find the PMPRB Interim Guidelines response here.

PMPRB Brief 

November 6th, 2020
 
Please find the PMPRB brief here.

PMPRB Submission

August 21, 2020
 
Please find the full PMPRB submission here. 

INDU Submission

June 18, 2020

Please review the full INDU submission here.

Pre-Budget Submission

February 27, 2020

Please review the full pre-budget submission here. 

PMPRB Draft Guidelines Consultation Submission:

On February 14, 2020, the Danish Life Sciences Forum provided input on the PMPRB’s Draft Guidelines regarding the implementation of the newly amended Patented Medicines Regulations. The input submission aims to provide a Danish life sciences perspective on the new price control regime for patented medicines in Canada.  It is complementary to the individual submissions made by the DLSF Canadian affiliates and to the industry association, Innovative Medicines Canada.
 
Please find the full submission here.

Ontario's 2019 Budget Inputs

Please read our Ontario's 2019 budget inputs here.

Pre-Budget Submission

In response to the Pre-Budget Consultations in advance of the 2019 budget launched by the Standing Committee on Finance, the Danish Life Sciences Forum submitted recommendations to support the topic of Economic Growth: Ensuring Canada's Competitiveness. The Danish Life Sciences Forum has offered its perspectives on how the federal government can use innovation in the life sciences industry as a way to diversify the economy, increase productivity and competitiveness, and attract and retain the jobs of tomorrow.

Please review the full pre-budget submission here.

Treasury Board Secretariat’s regulatory modernization initiative submission – September 14, 2018

The Danish Life Sciences Forum provided input on the Treasury Board Secretariat’s regulatory modernization initiative. The submission is complementary to that of the industry association, Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC), and focuses on one of the three key sectors that have been targeted for the three-year regulatory review process: health and bio-sciences. The submission focuses on Health Canada’s proposed reform of the PMPRB, which runs contrary to the Treasury Board Secretariat’s efforts to streamline regulation in health and bio-sciences.

Please review the full submission here.

Danish Life Sciences Forum provides input to the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare

On Friday, September 28, Danish Life Sciences Forum provided input on the Advisory Council's implementation of National Pharmacare. The input submission is complementary to that of the industry association, Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC), and provides a Danish perspective on the national pharma care discussions, conveying six specific recommendations for the Advisory Council's further development of a national pharma care system in Canada.

Please find the full input submission here.