[Viva] Fwd: GLOBE AND MAIL EDITORIAL: Ottawa has second chance to save millions of lives

[Denise Becker]

This was the Globe and Mail Editorial today.  Is anyone willing to be part
of this campaign again this year.  I am going to get really public with it
this time - enough is enough, people are dying and we have the meds!

Denise

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Info <info at aidslaw.ca>
Date: Tue, May 15, 2012 at 8:32 AM
Subject: GLOBE AND MAIL EDITORIAL: Ottawa has second chance to save
millions of lives
To: Info <info at aidslaw.ca>



OTTAWA HAS SECOND CHANCE TO SAVE MILLIONS OF LIVES

James Orbinski and Richard Elliott
The Globe and Mail
Tuesday, May. 15, 2012
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/ottawa-has-second-chance-to-save-millions-of-lives/article2432341/

Canadians want to take concrete action on behalf of those in developing
countries who are needlessly suffering from fully treatable ailments. They
want to help millions of people worldwide gain access to live-saving,
affordable medicine.

Our politicians have this very opportunity in the form of Bill C-398,
currently making its way through Parliament. The bill seeks to fix Canada's
flawed Access to Medicines Regime (CAMR), an eight-year-old law that was
supposed to make it easier to send lower-cost generic drugs to countries
that can't afford to pay top dollar for brand-name drugs.

Despite the best intentions, the law never worked. It was so riddled with
cumbersome regulations and red tape that only one shipment of medicine has
been processed since 2004.
Bill C-398, a private member's bill, would untangle that red tape once and
for all, allowing the legislation to work the way it was intended.

It's the second time in just over a year that the bill has arrived in the
House of Commons. Last year, it sailed through with support from MPs from
all parties, but died in the Senate when the 2011 federal election was
called.

Now MPs and senators have a second chance to do the right thing. It's a
simple adjustment that could help the global effort to save millions of
lives.

Canada first recognized the need back in 2004 when it passed legislation to
create Canada's Access to Medicines Regime. The law permitted generic drug
companies here to manufacture much less costly versions of brand-name drugs
for export to treat public health problems such as HIV.

Despite noble intent, the system faltered. The one generic drug company
that did use CAMR has said it will not attempt the current cumbersome
procedure again. So far, developing countries have been reluctant to try,
partly because of CAMR's unnecessary restrictions.

What happened? On paper, the law allowed generic manufacturers to bypass
Canadian patents by applying for licences - or patent exemptions - in order
to manufacture copies of certain drugs for export to eligible countries
named in the law.

But from the outset, applicants ran into roadblocks. There is a one-country
limit for each licence application and a fixed maximum quantity of
medicines for each order that had to be specified in advance. Eliminating
the quantity ceiling means generic producers would be able to supply the
amount of drugs identified by those countries as their needs arise.

Potential users are waiting in the wings for reform, and there's no
argument that generic drugs have already saved millions of lives.

A little more than a decade ago, only about 200,000 people who needed
life-saving AIDS medicine in the developing world were getting treatment.
Today, that figure stands at more than six million. The remarkable
improvement was made possible because drug prices plummeted, thanks largely
to generic competition. But more needs to be done.

Some opponents of reform argue that Bill C-398 would undermine intellectual
property rights held dear by brand-name pharmaceutical manufacturers.

But even international trade bodies such as the World Trade Organization
have recognized that many developing countries aren't in a position to
manufacture their own life-saving drugs and need to rely on imported
medicines.

Making CAMR work means cost benefits for Canadians too. Aid money would
work more effectively in developing countries because a portion of our
financial assistance is earmarked for medicine. If the drug costs were
reduced, Canadian aid dollars could buy more.

CAMR reform has the support of medical and legal experts, human-rights
organizations, physicians, faith leaders, health activists and
international aid workers across Canada and internationally. They're not
alone; fully 80 per cent of the public supports fixing CAMR, according to a
national opinion poll.

We believe this is one of the most important pieces of legislation Canada
will ever have the chance to pass. It will save lives and help change the
world.

James Orbinski is co-founder of Dignitas International and a professor at
the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.
Richard Elliott is executive director of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal
Network.
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