The Ministry of Health has strengthened its data privacy and security, allowing it to restore secure data access for external health researchers and to reinstate its contract with the University of British Columbia's Therapeutics Initiative.

Restoring secure data access and contracts comes after taking steps to strengthen the security of health information at the ministry, and make approved data available more quickly for researchers.


The value of the contract the ministry is restoring with the University of British Columbia's Therapeutics Initiative is worth $550,000 a year. The contract pays UBC to provide health professional education and to undertake PharmaCare program evaluations. It had been suspended in September 2012.

The Therapeutics Initiative also receives funding to conduct several contracted clinical evidence reviews (drug evaluations) for the ministry. This additional funding is worth up to $150,000 and continues throughout the duration of the contract. Additional details on this contract and B.C.'s funding for independent drug evaluation is available in the backgrounder...

http://www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/2013/1...-research.html

(thanks to all who signed the petition. Therapeutics initiative is truly an unbiased pharmaceutical assessing body. madelyn)