Doug Clark, executive director of the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board, PMPRB, said on November 27: “I don't think it's the purview of PMPRB to ensure that its guidelines, regulations and regime in its totality encourage R and D.” Later, when I said, “My understanding is that, in five years, you have not analyzed the economic or overall impacts of the reform on life sciences. Is that right?” he replied, and I quote, “No, we have not analyzed the impact on life sciences. However, we have done an analysis on prices, and we believe there will be no impact…”.
Mr. Adams, you say that the proposed reform denies one of the fundamental principles of the life sciences industry, because the process must be predictable, and it is through such a process that patent holders can assess the market for a drug and invest in research and innovation. Does this kind of answer surprise you?