After his first 100 days as chief executive officer of the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA), Mauro Chies shares his thoughts on the organization, his experiences and what he sees for the future of the pCPA.
Mauro, you joined the pCPA in February 2025 and have now been on the job as CEO for 100 days. We’re excited to hear your thoughts. First off, how have you settled into your new role?
Love the role, love the people. The sense of community, both inside and outside the pCPA, has been incredible. Everyone has a genuine interest in helping each other and in working to make improvements. It’s their commitment to excellence in the pharmaceutical space that ultimately benefits patients and partners.
What has surprised you most since joining the organization?
How much money the pCPA has saved public drug plans.
Before joining, I was aware the pCPA negotiates drug prices on behalf of provincial, territorial, and federal drug plans. But I didn’t realize how large an impact those negotiations have had.
To learn the pCPA has saved more than $24 billion dollars since it started in 2010 is mind-blowing. In 2023–24 alone, we saved $4.63 billion, and that number will be even bigger for 2024–25. Stay tuned —that number will be released in the coming weeks.
I’ve been working in healthcare for many years, and I’m not aware of any other organization of this size that is able to produce that type of return on investment, which is truly impressive.
What’s one thing you want people to know about you and what you bring to this position?
I’m big on innovation. I’ve been in the healthcare ecosystem for a long time, and I’ve witnessed a lot of change over my career. I understand how essential it is to be nimble and look toward the future. With all that is happening in the drug reimbursement system right now, this is more important than ever. I like to challenge the old ways of doing things and recognize that just because something has always been done a certain way, doesn’t mean it’s the right way. We need to keep up with what’s happening around us and I’m looking forward to bringing new ideas to the table.
What do you see as your greatest opportunity as CEO?
I’m looking forward to expanding our work with partners in the drug reimbursement system, including Health Canada, Canada’s Drug Agency, the Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux, and public drug plans. At this critical time of change, it’s important we all work together toward a common goal, which is improving drug coverage for patients.
And our partners also include patients, clinicians and drug manufacturers. I want to learn more about their priorities and how we can work together in ways that make sense.
After 100 days in your role as CEO, what is your main priority?
The pCPA has been yielding greater savings year over year, and we’ve made huge strides with reducing negotiation timelines. We need to build on this momentum to do even more for the Canadian health system.
This also means we need to have the right resources in place. We already have an incredibly diverse and skilled team, and I see an opportunity to use these talents in new and exciting ways.
What are your plans for the next 100 days and beyond?
We’re working with our partners to develop or evaluate negotiation pathways, with the goal of speeding up timelines while still getting the right price for new drugs.
We’ll also be busy developing our first strategic plan as a stand-alone organization. This is exciting, future-looking work, and the new plan will lead us through the next three years.
And it goes without saying that I want to continue learning about the pharmaceutical ecosystem, so I can guide and support the pCPA to become the best that it can be.