This translation has been automatically generated and has not been verified for accuracy.COVID-19 is commonly compared to the 1918 Spanish flu, which killed 50 million people around the globe. At that time, there were no vaccines, no test kits, no antiviral drugs and no antibiotics. Social distancing and hand-washing were the only tools in the arsenal.
Domestic manufacturing capacity matters a lot, and Canada may no longer have it. In this sense, although Canada is immeasurably better equipped to address COVID-19 than it was in 1918 when facing the Spanish flu, the country will still face major obstacles in getting essential medicines to those who need them.
Since then, pharmaceutical patent monopoly power in Canada has strengthened. As part of NAFTA negotiations in the early 1990s, the Canadian government agreed to a U.S. demand to abandon its compulsory licensing scheme. Compulsory licences could then only be granted in circumstances of patent abuse, and government agencies could also avail themselves of government-use licences. These provisions have since gathered dust.
Where commercially feasible, the pharmaceutical industry has found ways to provide access to essential medicines to the world’s poor. As HIV/AIDS treatments improved, manufacturers such as Gilead licensed lower-cost manufacturers to produce generic versions of expensive medicines for poorer countries, while taking a royalty. Prices fell and access expanded. Learning from this experience, Gilead pursued the same strategy with its Hepatitis C blockbusters.
Back in 2001, when the Canadian government sought a long-term domestic vaccine partner, only one company showed interest in establishing sufficient capacity to manufacture enough vaccine to inoculate the entire population in the event of an influenza pandemic. Quebec-based ID Biomedical manufactured the flu vaccine, including the H1N1 vaccine in 2009.
globebusiness O Canada!
globebusiness Thank Judas and the liberals
globebusiness All our money goes to perrybellegarde pockets. He hoarding all the supplies.
globebusiness 'Canadian access to coronavirus treatment is threatened by a weak and ineffective Government.' Fixed your headline.
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