When pharmaceutical patents expire, generic drugs can enter the market—often at a fraction of the brand-name price. Generic drug policy shapes how quickly these alternatives become available, how much they cost, and how widely they're adopted. For a healthcare system grappling with rising drug costs and coverage gaps, effective generic policy represents one of the most direct pathways to affordable medication access. Yet Canada's generic drug market has historically delivered less savings than other countries achieve, prompting ongoing policy attention.