The Evidence Speaks Series is a recurring feature highlighting the latest in Advancing Health research. This series features summaries of select publications and is designed to keep media and the research community up to date with the Centre’s current research results in the health outcomes field.
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New markets, industry subsidies, and domestic manufacturing could help mitigate the harsh impact of US tariffs on Canadian pharmaceutical exports
Hu Y, Zhang W, Guh D, Anis AH. Impact of the U.S. 2025 tariff policy on Canadian pharmaceutical exports to the U.S. Heal Polic. 2026.
Since 1989, the United States has been Canada’s top export destination for pharmaceutical products, accounting for 70 per cent of the market. However, with the US government’s new import tariff policy, effective from 2025, tariffs on imports have increased to 35 per cent, with exceptions for products under the Canada–US–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). Tariffs are taxes paid by importing companies based on the base value of goods, and in the case of medical supplies, they can influence the availability and variety of medications accessible to consumers. Advancing Health scientists Drs. Wei Zhang, Daphne Guh, and Anis Aslam, and postdoctoral fellow Dr. Yufan Hu conducted a study to assess the likely impact of the US tariff policy on Canadian pharmaceutical exports and to propose policy responses.
They found that before the new tariff effects, Canada’s average annual export value was USD$5.4 billion, with medicines such as antibiotics and hormones (used for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes) constituting about USD$4.45 billion. They predict that with the application of the new tariff policy, exports of these medicines will decline by USD$1.67 billion, and total Canadian pharmaceutical exports could decrease by approximately USD$2 billion. These results imply that between 10.5 and 43.4 per cent of Canada’s pharmaceutical exports may need new markets. The team suggested that Canadian manufacturers should consider expanding beyond the US market and focus on manufacturing domestically to ensure compliance with CUSMA. Additionally, the Canadian government should support domestic producers in maintaining their competitiveness through industrial subsidies.
Socio-economic factors like education level and marital status can affect the benefits of diet diversity on diabetes risk
Mozaffari H, Imamura F, Murphy RA, Sharp SJ, Forouhi NG, Wareham NJ, Jessri M, Ibsen DB, Dahm CC, Luján-Barroso L, Sánchez M-J, Chirlaque M-D, Colorado-Yohar SM, Guevara M, Jakszyn P, Panico S, Ricceri F, Rolandsson O, Schulze MB, Winkvist A, Conklin AI. Educational disparities in the association of protein diversity and type 2 diabetes: a multi-country population-based prospective case-cohort study. Eur J Nutr. 2026
Eating a wide diversity of foods has been shown to be linked to better overall health, including reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D). This includes diversity across different food groups (e.g., meats, grains, vegetables, dairy, etc.), but also diversity within food groups (example here?). This project in particular was interested in the impact of different sources of plant proteins, such as beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. A team of researchers, including Advancing Health scientist Dr. Annalijn Conklin, wanted to see if there were connections between dietary diversity, type 2 diabetes, and socio-economic factors.
The researchers analysed data from 27,779 people living across 8 European countries over the course of 12 years. From this, they were able to look at 10,363 cases of T2D development, and cross-reference it against socio-economic factors including level of education, employment status, and marital status. The study found that university-educated participants who ate 3 sub-types of plant protein developed T2D 35 per cent less often than those with lower plant protein diversity. A protective role of higher vegetable diversity (3–4 subtypes vs 0–1) was seen most obviously among certain socio-economic groups, including participants who were single (61 per cent lower T2D rates), had primary education (22 per cent lower), or were employed (15 per cent lower). Overall, this study showed that education may modify the association between plant-protein diversity and T2D development. This suggests that public messaging about plant protein and overall dietary diversity could support T2D prevention. However, structural changes are needed to make diverse diets more accessible, such as making plant protein options cheaper, easier to buy, and easier to prepare.
BC nurses report increase in quality and safety of care, but a four-fold increase in emotional exhaustion
Havaei F, Song C, Zou D, Ben-Ahmed HE, Bookey-Bassett S, Boamah S, MacPhee M, Wu A. The Paradox of Nurse Burnout and Improved Quality of Care: A Longitudinal Survey Study of British Columbia Nurses. Can J Nurs Res. 2026.
“Burnout” is a psychological syndrome that develops because of workplace stress, marked by emotional exhaustion, personal detachment, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. One-third of nurses worldwide report burnout symptoms, which can have negative consequences on their own well-being as well as their patients’. Advancing Health scientist Dr. Farinaz Havaei and her research team wanted to examine trends in nurse burnout in BC to inform workplace and policy interventions.
They analysed data from 8,412 total participants from three surveys that evaluated BC nurses’ emotional exhaustion and their perceptions of quality and safety of care. These surveys were conducted in 2015, 2019, and 2020, providing snapshots long before, right before, and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses’ emotional exhaustion increased two-fold from 2015 to 2019 and four-fold from 2015 to 2020, respectively. Despite this increase in emotional exhaustion, nurses’ rating of all quality and safety measures improved over this time period. It is likely that this increased emotional exhaustion was due to increasing workloads and greater system pressures, particularly the pressure of providing care during an era-defining pandemic. It remains to be seen if levels of emotional exhaustion have decreased post-pandemic height, but currently these results suggest an overall trend in the provincial health system. While these findings may at first seem paradoxical, they imply that nurses have maintained and improved care standards at the cost of their own well-being. Long-term burnout will lead to decreased work quality or nurses leaving the field entirely. These care standards cannot be maintained without the introduction of targeted strategies to make nurse workloads more sustainable.
