As the old saying goes, “No pain, no gain.” However, if you ask Big Pharma, the saying should really go, “No pain, lots of gain.” 

What happened: VX-548, an experimental painkiller from Vertex Pharmaceuticals, has been proven in test trials to safely and effectively reduce pain, according to the company.

In a not-so-romantic Canadian pairing, an insurance giant and grocery conglomerate have officially announced they are exclusive. 

What happened: Manulife Financial, the largest insurance provider in Canada, will only offer coverage for certain prescription drugs at Loblaw-owned pharmacies, including Shoppers Drug Mart, according to The Canadian Press. 

 On this week’s episode of Free Lunch by The Peak, we sat down with Dr. Allison Sekuler, the Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience at the Rotman Research Institute and Vice-President of Research at Baycrest Health Sciences, to talk about how to slow our brains’ aging process.  

A new innovation is ready to join the global fight against Alzheimer’s disease alongside experimental drugs and daily sudokus. 

What happened: A commercially available blood test shows immense promise in catching early cases of Alzheimer’s, according to a new study.

You can work from home, take classes at home, and exercise at home. And soon, in B.C., you can even do your routine medical tests from home.  

Driving the news: Later this month, B.C. will become the first Canadian province to offer at-home screening tests for HPV, human papillomavirus, a common infection that is also the leading cause of cervical cancer.  

Your grandparents aren’t the only snowbirds going to Florida this year. Canadian drugs could soon be on their way to the Sunshine State too. 

What happened: Florida has become the first U.S. state to receive FDA approval to import pharmaceuticals from Canadian wholesalers.

We love Canada but must admit that other countries are superior in certain areas—things like better sun, tastier cuisine, and, crucially, better access to family doctors.

Driving the news: Canadian access to family doctors lags well behind that of other OECD countries with public healthcare systems, according to a new University of Toronto study that compared healthcare systems in Denmark, the U.K., Finland, France, Germany and more. 

The body in charge of certifying family doctors in Canada is throwing the Uno reverse card at planned new training regulations.

What happened: The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) is rolling back a new rule that would have required an extra year of training for doctors entering family medicine.

Vaping is so 2021. These days, nicotine pouches are the vice of choice for many teens, and health experts are warning that it’s a serious problem.

Driving the news: A coalition of health advocacy groups, including the Canadian Cancer Society and the Heart and Stroke Foundation, are calling on Ottawa to create stricter regulations for nicotine pouches over concerns around their surging popularity with teens, per The Globe and Mail. 

As Canada’s opioid crisis continues, new enforcement measures in China could help restrict the flow of deadly substances to our shores. 

Driving the news: The U.S. and China are expected to announce a new deal that will see China commit to cracking down on companies that export the chemicals used to make fentanyl — an extremely potent synthetic opioid drug with shockingly high mortality rates.