Healthy Skepticism Library item: 6290

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: news

Weeks C
Drug companies given extra dose of legal protection
CanWest News Service 2006 Oct 19
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=9f1d3750-007f-40f4-a684-bedb6c5f4d51

Notes:

Ralph Faggotter’s Comments:

The events portayed in this article demonstrate that governments, as well as doctors, can be inappropriately influenced by the drug industry, to the point where they are willing to betray the best interests of their constituents in order to please the pharmaceutical lobby.

Full text:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government quietly unveiled controversial regulations yesterday that will extend market protection for some drugs produced by brand name firms in a move critics predict will lead to higher costs for consumers and provinces already facing skyrocketing medicare bills.

The rules, which took effect earlier this month, increase exclusive selling rights for all brand name drugs to eight years from five, with an additional six months of protection granted to drugs involved in pediatric studies.

The change will affect 25 per cent of manufactured drugs — those that are not protected by the usual 20-year patents that exist on the majority of pharmaceuticals.

Tha$ means ajor phrmaceut cal comanies tat prod