Michel Robidoux of Sandoz Elected Vice Chair

Toronto, February 21, 2024 – The Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA) is pleased to announce the unanimous election of Ray Shelley, President of Apotex Canada, as Chair of CGPA.

Michel Robidoux, President and General Manager at Sandoz Canada, has been unanimously elected as Vice Chair of CGPA.

“Our industry’s focus remains ensuring a stable, predictable market for our sector, and the continued supply and introduction of cost-saving generic prescription medicines for Canadians,” said Mr. Shelley.

A key component of this work will be the successful implementation of the renewed national pricing and market access initiative negotiated with the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA), which came into force on October 1, 2023.

A recently released international pricing analysis using the NAVLIN Global Database by EVERSANA found that public prices for generic prescription medicines that are benefits on provincial drug plans in Canada are 45 percent lower than in the PMPRB11 comparator countries.

Mr. Shelley also said that advocacy will continue on increasing the use of cost-saving generic medicines in Canada, particularly with employer-sponsored drug plans.

“The use of generic medicines in public drug programs is about 12 percent greater than in employer-sponsored drug plans,” Mr. Shelley said. “It is estimated that, if the use of generic medicines increased by just one percent, it would save employers and patients an additional $454-million each year.”

Prior to being appointed to his current role in 2023, Mr. Shelley served as Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations – Canada and Rest of World Markets at Apotex Inc. A 27-year veteran of Apotex, Ray has held progressively senior positions in the company within Sales and Marketing. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University or Windsor and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business.