Action on Canada's generic drug law

Medical students at, for example, McGill University and the University of Toronto have organized lectures, workshops, petitions, active lobbying and demonstrations in support of changes to Bill C-9 (formerly known as Bill C-56) that could make access to generic versions of patented medicines a reality in countries where the appropriate manufacturing capacity does not exist. In doing so, these students are active and full partners in a broad international coalition of church groups, national and international nongovernmental organizations, labour unions, medical associations and others concerned with access to health care at the global level. In my view, this is a powerful example of active citizenship and professional responsibility that challenges rather than acquiesces to the “powers that be.”

The “right of first refusal” in the draft Bill C-9 is one of the many potential stumbling blocks described in my commentary.¹ Whether the early praise offered by the WHO and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health is deserved will depend on the provisions of the final bill. As I write this (late March 2004), public hearings on the bill are still in progress. Medical students, faculty members and practising health care professionals can make their opinions heard by contacting their MP or the prime minister's office directly.

James Orbinski Research Scientist and Associate Professor St. Michael's Hospital University of Toronto Toronto, Ont.