Canada to revisit drug patent legislation

Canada's federal Industry Minister, Brian Tobin, has said he iscommitted to a review of the country's controversial Patent Act in the third quarter of this year.

When in opposition, Mr Tobin had been fiercely critical of the passage of the legislation, known as Bill C-22, which gives innovative pharmaceutical companies 20 years' patent exclusivity on their products (Marketletters passim), and had claimed that its passage would "suck the life's blood out of Canada's poorer citizens."

However, he now says his fears have not been borne out and that the regime has worked, noting that prescription drug prices in Canada are on average around 40% less than those in the USA. Nevertheless, Mr Tobin also says that there have been "many requests for all kinds of changes" to the law, and he believes that there is room in the legislation for improvement.