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Medication coverage

Rare disease drug coverage in Canada

Check whether a rare-disease medication is on Canada's common list, then see how public coverage is usually handled in your province or territory.

This is a starting point, not a coverage decision.

Official Health Canada common-list sourceNo account required

Check your province and medication

Select where you live and a medication from the current common list. The result is guidance, not a coverage guarantee.

Where do you live?

Select your province or territory.

Which medication are you looking for?

Search by brand name or verified generic name.

Health Canada's bilateral agreement can also fund rare-disease drugs outside the common list. This tool only checks the published common list.

Select where you live first.

How rare-disease drug coverage works in Canada

Public drug coverage is provincial and territorial. There is no single national public list that automatically pays for a rare-disease medication everywhere in Canada.

Health Canada authorization means a medication may be sold in Canada. It does not automatically mean your province or territory will pay for it.

A medication may still need special authorization, exceptional access, specialist criteria, case review, or enrolment in the local public drug program.

Rules differ by jurisdiction. Confirm current coverage with the official provincial or territorial source before you act.

National context

Coverage by province and territory

Each province and territory handles rare-disease and special drug access through its own public program. These notes are a starting point. They are not a coverage decision.

Alberta

What to check
Alberta Health publishes coverage information for approved drug products. Rare-disease medications are generally handled inside that public coverage system, not through a separate national formulary.
What may be required
Special authorization or specialist criteria may apply, depending on the product and indication.
Where to confirm
Confirm current listings and request rules on Alberta's coverage page for approved drug products.
  • This jurisdiction can elect medications from Health Canada's national common list. Election status is a starting point, not a personal coverage decision.

British Columbia

What to check
PharmaCare is British Columbia's public drug program. Rare-disease or non-regular-benefit drugs are often reviewed through Special Authority.
What may be required
A specialist typically requests Special Authority. Clinical criteria and program enrolment can apply.
Where to confirm
Confirm current coverage on BC PharmaCare and the Special Authority pages.
  • This jurisdiction can elect medications from Health Canada's national common list. Election status is a starting point, not a personal coverage decision.

Saskatchewan

What to check
Exception Drug Status is Saskatchewan's published route for drugs that are not regular benefits, including many high-cost or rare-disease treatments.
What may be required
A prescriber usually makes the Exception Drug Status request. Case-by-case review can apply.
Where to confirm
Confirm current criteria on Saskatchewan's Exception Drug Status page.
  • This jurisdiction can elect medications from Health Canada's national common list. Election status is a starting point, not a personal coverage decision.

Manitoba

What to check
Manitoba Pharmacare uses the provincial formulary and exceptional access for drugs that are not regular benefits.
What may be required
Exceptional access or specialist documentation may be required, depending on the product.
Where to confirm
Confirm current listings on the Manitoba Drug Benefits and Interchangeability Formulary page.
  • This jurisdiction can elect medications from Health Canada's national common list. Election status is a starting point, not a personal coverage decision.

Ontario

What to check
The Ontario Drug Benefit program covers many listed drugs. Drugs that are not regular benefits may go through the Exceptional Access Program.
What may be required
Exceptional Access Program requests are usually prescriber-led. Clinical criteria, an approved indication, and program enrolment can apply.
Where to confirm
Confirm current rules on the Exceptional Access Program and Ontario Drug Benefit pages.
  • This jurisdiction can elect medications from Health Canada's national common list. Election status is a starting point, not a personal coverage decision.

Quebec

What to check
Quebec runs public prescription drug insurance through RAMQ and has a provincial Action Plan for Rare Diseases. It does not use Health Canada's common-list election page the same way other jurisdictions do.
What may be required
Access depends on RAMQ listing, exceptional measures, or specialist criteria under Quebec's own programs. Do not assume a federal common-list election applies.
Where to confirm
Confirm current coverage with RAMQ and Quebec's Action Plan for Rare Diseases.
  • Quebec does not appear on Health Canada's common-list election page. Confirm access through Quebec's own public programs, not a federal election status.

New Brunswick

What to check
New Brunswick's Medicare Prescription Drug Plan is the public coverage starting point. Rare-disease or high-cost drugs may need extra review inside that plan.
What may be required
Special authorization or specialist involvement may apply. Public rare-disease-specific detail is limited beyond the plan pages.
Where to confirm
Confirm current coverage on the New Brunswick Medicare Prescription Drug Plan pages.
  • This jurisdiction can elect medications from Health Canada's national common list. Election status is a starting point, not a personal coverage decision.

Nova Scotia

What to check
Nova Scotia Pharmacare, including Family Pharmacare, is the public drug program. High-cost or rare-disease drugs may need extra authorization.
What may be required
Specialist criteria or special authorization may apply, depending on the product.
Where to confirm
Confirm current coverage on the Nova Scotia Pharmacare pages.
  • This jurisdiction can elect medications from Health Canada's national common list. Election status is a starting point, not a personal coverage decision.

Prince Edward Island

What to check
Prince Edward Island publishes a High Cost Drug Program for some expensive medications that fall outside regular coverage.
What may be required
Specialist involvement and program criteria typically apply. Confirm whether a given product is considered under that program.
Where to confirm
Confirm current coverage on the PEI High Cost Drug Program page.
  • This jurisdiction can elect medications from Health Canada's national common list. Election status is a starting point, not a personal coverage decision.

Newfoundland and Labrador

What to check
Newfoundland and Labrador Pharmacare is the public drug program. Rare-disease or high-cost drugs may be handled through special authorization inside Pharmacare.
What may be required
Specialist or program review may apply. Confirm current listings and request processes on the official Pharmacare pages.
Where to confirm
Confirm current coverage on the Newfoundland and Labrador Pharmacare pages.
  • This jurisdiction can elect medications from Health Canada's national common list. Election status is a starting point, not a personal coverage decision.

Yukon

What to check
Yukon's Chronic Disease and Disability Benefits Program can cover some ongoing medications. Yukon can also elect drugs on the national common list, but that is separate from personal coverage.
What may be required
Program enrolment and case review may apply. Public information about a dedicated rare-disease process is limited.
Where to confirm
Confirm current coverage on Yukon's chronic disease and disability benefits page.
  • This jurisdiction can elect medications from Health Canada's national common list. Election status is a starting point, not a personal coverage decision.
  • Public information about a dedicated territorial rare-disease drug process is limited. Confirm current coverage with the official territorial source.

Northwest Territories

What to check
The Northwest Territories publishes a special authorization process for drugs that are not routinely covered. The territory can elect drugs on the national common list, but election is not personal coverage.
What may be required
A prescriber or specialist typically requests special authorization. Public rare-disease-specific detail beyond that process is limited.
Where to confirm
Confirm current coverage on the Northwest Territories special authorization page.
  • This jurisdiction can elect medications from Health Canada's national common list. Election status is a starting point, not a personal coverage decision.
  • Public information about a dedicated territorial rare-disease drug process is limited. Confirm current coverage with the official territorial source.

Nunavut

What to check
Nunavut Extended Health Benefits is the published territorial starting point for extra health and drug coverage. Nunavut can elect drugs on the national common list, but that is not a coverage decision.
What may be required
Special authorization may apply. Public rare-disease-specific process information is limited.
Where to confirm
Confirm current coverage on Nunavut's Extended Health Benefits page.
  • This jurisdiction can elect medications from Health Canada's national common list. Election status is a starting point, not a personal coverage decision.
  • Public information about a dedicated territorial rare-disease drug process is limited. Confirm current coverage with the official territorial source.

If your medication is not shown

If a medication does not appear in this checker's current rare-disease dataset, that does not automatically mean no public coverage exists.

Check the broader Public Drug Coverage tool for your province or territory's regular drug programs. Special authorization or exceptional access may still apply, depending on where you live.

A pharmacist, specialist, or program administrator can often tell you which public program handles the request.

Open Public Drug Coverage

If you already have a drug identification number and know your province or territory, Your Coverage Steps can walk through the next administrative checks.

Open Your Coverage Steps

Told to switch to a biosimilar? That is a different step. See what your plan requires and your next steps.

Frequently asked questions

Does elected mean I am covered?
No. Elected means Health Canada currently shows your province or territory as having elected the drug on the common list. Your specialist and the drug program still decide if you meet clinical and program criteria.
What if my drug is not on the common list?
The common list is one funding route. Provinces and territories may fund other rare-disease drugs through separate programs or exceptional access.
How is this different from the Public Drug Coverage Navigator?
This tool checks one Health Canada source: the rare-disease common list and jurisdiction elections. The Public Drug Coverage Navigator helps you find provincial public drug programs more broadly.

Last verified June 15, 2026

Rare disease drug coverage in Canada | MyEligible