140. The representative of Canada updated Members on the Canadian Access to Medicine Regime, which had come into effect on 14 May 2005. Her delegation was committed to ensuring that the regime was effective, responsive, transparent and accessible to countries that had an interest in using it in their efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other epidemics. In August 2006, Canada's Minister of Health had announced an immediate and comprehensive review of the Access to Medicine Regime in consultation with stakeholders. The review had been built into the legislation because Canada was one of the first WTO Members to implement the August 2003 Decision and had had to address many key legal and policy issues for the first time. The review would provide an opportunity to identify ways in which a regime could better meet its humanitarian objectives without derogating from international trade obligations and to compare the Canadian legislation with that of other WTO Members which had now implemented the Decision.
141. She recalled that, under the Access to Medicine Regime, Canada had started with an initial list of drugs recognized by the WHO as being essential to the health needs of citizens around the world. The list would minimize the discretion of Canada's Commissioner of Patents in deciding whether to issue a compulsory licence and could be amended to reflect the evolving public health needs of developing and least-developed countries. It had already been amended twice. The first amendment was in response to a request from a non-governmental organization and a Canadian drug manufacturer to add a fixed-dose combination HIV/AIDS therapy. It had passed Health Canada's regulatory review and was now listed on the WHO's prequalification list. Also at the request of a local manufacturer and a non-governmental organization, the second amendment had added Osteltamivir, an antiretroviral drug for the prevention and treatment of the influenza virus. The system was in place and the fixed-dose combination HIV/AIDS therapy was available. All that would remain was for an eligible importing country to request it.
142. To provide information on the regime, her government had developed a CD-Rom that explained the system, the procedures and the documentation. The same information was also available at a special website created for the Access to Medicines Regime (www.camr.gc.ca). Canada's experts stood to provide further information. If potential users did not find the regime to be a feasible option, or did not consider it to be the right choice, her delegation would welcome their feedback. Her delegation would keep Members informed of the results of the domestic review, which was due to be completed by May 2007.
