I find it very interesting because when we began this study I remember asking some questions about marketing because it seemed to me that there was no independent assessment. So you have this very close relationship, as you've described, between pharmaceuticals and physicians, and there's really nothing in between even though, allegedly, Health Canada does give some oversight. But as you pointed out, it's sort of a passive kind of thing. That is very concerning because we're talking about a multi-billion dollar industry here. We're talking about the real health interests of people.
The question I'd like to get at is what do we need to do to bring in a much tougher regulatory system. We've had vague promises and commitments, but the fact is that the system is not in place. Who provides that monitoring? Presumably it should be Health Canada. Their role is to ensure drug safety for Canadians, yet there is a huge vacuum. That's not being done.
It would be very helpful, Dr. Persaud and Dr. Kahan, if you could be a little more specific about what you want to see us recommend concerning a much tougher regulatory system with regard to what's being put out there, and some assessment as to whether or not these products are actually open to abuse in terms of what's being said in the claims, and whether or not they are safe.