WHO praises Canadian response to cheaper drugs plea

The World Health Organization (WHO) has welcomed Canada's response to the dearth of quality and affordable medicines in poorer regions.

The country has tabled new legislation which, if passed, would allow drug manufacturers to export low-cost, quality medicines to the world's poorest countries.

'The move is timely as WHO and its partners gear up to get three million AIDS sufferers on antiretroviral treatment by 2005,' said Dr Lee Jong-wook, Director-General of the WHO. 'We hope other countries will follow suit.'

Canada is the first country to propose changes to its patent legislation to put into practice a decision made by World Trade Organization (WTO) members in August 2003, which allows exports of generic medicines to countries with insufficient pharmaceutical manufacturing. The initiative also emphasised that such medicines should not be resold or re-exported by recipient countries.

Once adopted, Canada's new legislation could lead to increased supply of life-saving medicines and further price reductions for developing countries. If replicated in other exporting countries, such a decision, coupled with increased efforts to improve health infrastructure and service delivery could be a major step in closing the treatment gap for millions of people who cannot afford the essential medicines they need, according to the WHO.