Celopharma Inc, the company that is bringing the combined abortion pill package of mifepristone+misoprostol to Canada is going ahead with a crucial cost-effectiveness review by the Common Drug Review (CDR) that could clear the way for provincial drug plans to cover the CAN $300 cost of the medication, according to Health Canada.The Common Drug Review advises every province except Quebec on which new drugs they should reimburse for patients who qualify. Quebec, which has a separate, free process to assess the cost-effectiveness of “new” drugs, is reviewing Mifegymiso.Without the endorsement of the CDR, the provincial drug plans in English-speaking Canada said they would not consider covering the two-drug combination, meaning that women who wanted to use Mifegymiso would have to pay out of pocket or rely on private insurance.Dawn Fowler, the Canadian director of the National Abortion Federation, called the company’s new plans “great news.” If the provinces do opt to add Mifegymiso to their formularies – the lists of drugs they cover for all patients in hospitals and for certain patients outside hospitals – access to medical abortion could increase significantly, she said.SOURCE: Globe and Mail, 3 October 2016 + VISUALSEE ALSO: Vice.com, 26 September 2016 for the back story ; a Globe and Mail editorial, 26 September 2016, asking why it is so complicated to get these pills to women, and a statement on 29 September by the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada calling on Prime Minister Trudeau and Health Minister Jane Philpott to intervene in order to ensure the medications can be approved for reimbursement.