Thank you.
Mr. Robinson, Mr. Keon made a comment, and I'd like to hear your comments as well, after I explain what my question is. Referring to safety issues with drugs, he said that thoughtful, risk-based dialogue is the best way to approach these matters. Yet, through a journalist that did a film about Vanessa's story, back in 2001, I was able to get copies of e-mails that went back and forth between the vice-president of Janssen-Ortho—part of Johnson & Johnson—and senior Health Canada officials. Health Canada officials were asking them to either take the drug off the market or put a very clearly worded warning or do their utmost to make sure the drug wasn't prescribed to patients it shouldn't be.
I have those emails back and forth. Of course you can imagine it broke my heart reading them and seeing the Health Canada officials struggling to get Janssen-Ortho to recognize that this drug should be taken off the market. This was prior to Vanessa's death. These emails went back and forth right into March 2000, and Vanessa died on March 19, 2000.
I was shocked to find out that this is normal in the industry. This happened with the other 26 drugs that have been taken off the market since 1997. This is supposed to be thoughtful, risk-based dialogue. In fact it is the pharmaceutical companies, your members, trying to keep a blockbuster on the market longer because they're selling $100 million a month or something and pretending that the drug can be prescribed safely. The hands of Health Canada officials and the minister were tied prior to this bill. In fact, thoughtful, risk-based dialogue was really just a way to delay the withdrawal of the drugs so the companies could make more money.
Could you please comment on that?