From Nature Medicine. Published online 7 March 2011.
Backed by nongovernmental organizations and the generics industry, the left-of-center New Democratic Party has championed a bill that set out to improve Canada’s Access to Medicines Regime (CAMR), a law that enables drug manufacturers in the country to make generic medications for shipment to developing countries to treat illnesses such as tuberculosis and AIDS. The bill, C-393, was introduced to the House of Commons in 2009 and aimed to eliminate many of the CAMR procedures that its supporters consider unwieldy and extend the list of eligible drugs. But the bill has been so gutted that many global health advocates say they cannot support it in its current state, and it is floundering in Canada’s parliament.
Under the existing legislation, generic manufacturers that are unable to negotiate a voluntary license from the patent holders can ask the Canadian Commissioner of Patents for a compulsory license to produce an eligible product to address public health problems in another country. If the commissioner says yes, the law then authorizes a one-time license for a named product, along with the country to which it is to be shipped and order size.
Read the full article at Nature Medicine (subscription required).
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