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Member of Parliament ‘Ecstatic’ After Vote Revives AIDS Drugs Shipments to Africa
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Abstract
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| A majority of Canada’s House of Commons voted recently to revise a law that attempts to facilitate the export of drugs to fight HIV/AIDS and other deadly diseases in developing nations. The Liberal government passed the initial law five years ago, but it has not worked well in practice.
“I’m just ecstatic,” said Judy Wasylycia-Leis (NDP-Winnipeg North), sponsor of the bill, which gained 143 votes against 127 opposed. “It’s another all-party effort to try and improve a system that is not working but is well-intentioned.”
In 2004, Canada established the Access to Medicines Regime as a system under which domestic generic-drug firms could supply cheaper life-saving medicines to the developing world. Since then only one firm, Apotex Inc., has done business under the regime, shipping AIDS drugs to Rwanda.
The current law is too cumbersome say generic makers, who have to negotiate every shipment to purchasing nations with pharmaceutical patent holders. Apotex has vowed not to use the system again unless changes are made.
Members of Parliament have been lobbied extensively by non-governmental organizations wanting to change the law and by the pharmaceutical lobby, which is worried about patent holders’ intellectual property rights. A majority of members, including some from the Conservative Party, voted to send the bill to the Commons industry committee for additional study.
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Subjects
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Africa
Developing Nations
Generic drugs
HIV/AIDS Treatment or Therapies
Legislation/Regulation
Therapeutic Drugs
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cdcnpin.org News Record #54401
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