Bonjour, monsieur le président, members of the committee.
Canada's Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D) applaud Canada for being one of the first countries to provide legislation that responds to the Third World's need for access to pharmaceuticals. Canada's Access to Medicines Regime was passed into law unanimously by Parliament in a spirit of compassion that reflects Canadian values. The innovative pharmaceutical community supports the generosity inherent in this legislation, which serves as a tool to respond to the need for medicines in the developing world. A global humanitarian crisis is unfolding and it must be addressed on an urgent basis.
First, let me say that l am aware that Canada's access-to-medicines regime has attracted critics who say the legislation is not working. To those critics, l would respectfully point out that this is young legislation. The Doha decision occurred in 2003 and the bill came into force in May 2005. In some ways, it has not been fully implemented. For example, an expert advisory committee under the legislation has not yet been established. It is therefore hard to say that the legislation has been fully tested.
l think this point is proven by the fact that the awareness of this legislation is very low. l met with about 25 ambassadors from African countries before Christmas and found that the majority of them were not aware of Canada's access-to-medicines regime. Health Minister Tony Clement recently echoed this view when he indicated that he had met with representatives from two African countries, neither of whom was aware of the legislation.
Before altering the legislation, it is our view that the government should give it an opportunity to be tested. Rather than rewriting Canada's Access to Medicines Regime, I would recommend, as a first step, that the government undertake a full-scale education program to inform stakeholders—especially those in developing countries—of the legislation and its mechanisms.
It is also important to view this legislation in a broader context. The pharmaceutical community believes that delivering medicines to patients in developing countries addresses only one part of a much larger health care challenge. Without transportation, clinics, clean water, or access to health care professionals, as just discussed, this legislation alone will not be very effective. The legislation should be therefore viewed as one element of a comprehensive approach to increasing access to life-saving drugs.
People working at the forefront of the AIDS crisis have spoken about the need for a coordinated plan to address the proliferation of HIV in Africa. Some humanitarian organizations have recommended that steps beyond access to medicines be taken. Canada has been urged to commit money to help cover the costs of HIV prevention programs. Developed countries have also been asked to forgive debt in return for investments in health care and to invest in the training of health care workers.
Rx&D agreed with this need for a comprehensive approach. We must look at legislated access to medicines along with an array of non-legislated measures. Together, they should be seen as an integrated approach to supporting Canada's health-care objectives in the Third World.
There is much more to do, as we all share responsibilities to find a solution to this cause. The innovative pharmaceutical community has for years—and it's one of the reasons why I joined the community—provided increased access to medicines in developing nations outside the legislation that is now being reviewed.
Over the last five years, the global pharmaceutical community has donated $5 billion in humanitarian aid, including medicines. This equates to positive health interventions for some 540 million people worldwide. You can find details on these efforts in the binder that we propose. I recommend that everybody take a look at them.
This money has been used to build health care infrastructure, as well as provide medicines and vaccines. We know that progress is being made. The World Health Organization recently reported that there has been a very significant increase in the number of people receiving AIDS treatment in sub-Saharan Africa—from 2% three years ago to 28%, 1.3 million people. Still, much work has to be done, and we have to commit a great deal of energy, but I think progress is being made.
The pharmaceutical community has also taken innovative approaches, such as preferential pricing at cost, below cost, or free in some cases. Voluntary licence agreements with foreign drug manufacturers have allowed us to reduce production costs and the end price for certain drugs. We have also invested in clinics and education to ensure medicinal products are properly administered. This is quite crucial.
On the home front, Canada's pharmaceutical community since 1990 has contributed almost $150 million in medicines and financial assistance to Health Partners International of Canada, where the Prime Minister was a month ago. This money has gone to hundreds of humanitarian efforts. This is an ongoing partnership that speeds the delivery of “in-date” drugs to people in need and avoids diversion to unintended recipients.
We applaud the government's decision in the last budget to provide incentives aimed at maximizing donations to organizations such as Health Partners International of Canada, because we know they ensure high quality medicines are delivered to people in need.
Clearly, there are many ways to provide affordable medicines to countries in need. Generics are one option, although people, including Industry Canada, say the price of generics in Canada is a barrier. But equally compelling is the fact that the innovative pharmaceutical community has provided preferential pricing on brand names to struggling nations.
Terry.