Canada Needs Tougher Drug Patent Protection: Report

From the Globe and Mail:
Canada risks losing out on the next wave of lucrative pharmaceutical investment and jobs unless it matches tougher patent protection for drug makers in the U.S. and Europe, says a new report for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Canada has fallen behind many other leading advanced countries in patent protection, impairing the country’s investment climate, concludes the report by the Canadian Intellectual Property Council, an arm of the Chamber composed of drug makers, consumer product companies, technology companies and lawyers.

The report, being released Wednesday, urges Ottawa to give patented drug makers up to five years of “restored” patent life to offset regulatory delays, exclusive use of drug trial data for an extra two years plus new legal tools to fight patent challenges launched by generic manufacturers.

“The world has continued to move on. We haven’t,” Chamber president Perrin Beatty said in an interview.

Any move to strengthen patent protection would be extremely contentious because it would mean higher prices for many new drugs, raising costs for consumers, insurers and provincial health plans. And Canada’s generic drug industry, along with several provincial governments would likely fight them vigorously. ... more






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