Thank you very much.
As you noted, India has considerable capacity. India is facing new challenges as the 2005 patent law amendments take effect, and its newer drugs will fall under patent protection and then be less amenable to large-scale domestic production. India just finished convening a working group and a review process with regard to its compulsory licensing legislation. I returned from New Delhi on Sunday. When I was in India last week I was advised that there are generic producers in India preparing to make use of India's article 30 implementing legislation in the not distant future, to determine how well the Indian system is working.
I would certainly hope that Canadian generic producers, like Apotex, are willing to compete head-on with Indians in the supply of drugs to poor people in developing countries. I have no reason to believe that your producers are not capable of also stepping in. I would add, as these drugs become the more sophisticated second-line and third-line drugs, fusion inhibitors, etc., this is where Canada may really excel with very sophisticated synthesization techniques for higher-end and more complex antiretroviral drugs. I think there's a major role for Canadian industry to play in this area, and I cannot imagine why you would say that because Canadians are not very good at competing in the international market on price, we will bar them from competing. It simply makes absolutely no sense at all.
Thank you.