<div id="readability-page-1"><div> By Paul Vieira <pre></pre> OTTAWA--Canada said Friday it intends to accelerate drug approvals in the country by relying on work done by foreign pharmaceutical regulators. Canada's health department said in a notice that this marks an effort to address industry concerns about the time it takes to get a new drug to market, and meet growing domestic demand for essential pharmaceutical products. The ministry said it proposes to lean on work done earlier by foreign regulators without compromising safety. The proposed changes, as outlined in the government's official newspaper, Canada Gazette, would create a more attractive environment for businesses, officials said. Relying on international collaboration would allow Canada's health department &#34;to refocus resources . . . narrow the gap in product availability, and contribute to earlier availability of products on the Canadian market,&#34; according to the government notice. Canada is seeking input from drug makers and healthcare organizations for a 70-day period, until Feb. 28, before publishing final regulations. A list of approved foreign drug regulators wasn't published at this time. This initiative is part of Prime Minister Mark Carney's effort to reduce and eliminate regulatory barriers within the federal public sector. Carney's administration is also looking to shed as many as 40,000 workers from the federal public-sector payrolls, or a reduction of about 10% from current levels. <pre></pre> Write to Paul Vieira at paul.vieira@wsj.com <pre></pre> (END) Dow Jones Newswires December 19, 2025 15:36 ET (20:36 GMT)Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones &amp; Company, Inc.</div></div>

Canada plans to accelerate drug approvals by leveraging foreign regulators' work, addressing industry concerns and domestic demand. The initiative aims to create a business-friendly environment and improve product availability. Input from drug makers and healthcare organizations is sought until Feb. 28. This is part of Prime Minister Mark Carney's effort to reduce regulatory barriers and cut federal public-sector jobs by 10%.

Canada to Lean on Foreign Regulators to Accelerate Drug-Approval Process