free drugs

Now that I have your attention, I would like to encourage you to sign a petition calling on the Government of Canada to change Canada’s law on exporting lower-cost medicines to developing countries so that it stands a greater chance of working.

In 2004 the Parliament of Canada unanimously passed legislation that was supposed to facilitate the compulsory licensing of patented medicines so that lower-cost, generic versions could be manufactured and exported to developing countries in need of more affordable drugs to address public health problems, including HIV/AIDS. However, no drugs have yet been exported, in part because of the cumbersome process the legislation puts in place.

Member organizations of the Global Treatment Access Group (GTAG), including the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, have been advocating on this issue for some time. The federal government has recently completed a period of public consultation about the legislation. All the submissions that were received by the government, including from GTAG and many of its member groups, are now on-line.

I understand that the relevant House of Commons committee will hold 3 days of formal hearings into the legislation in March, where this petition will likely be referenced.