[Ip-health] Biolyse Press Release: Canada adds Oseltamivir to Canadian Access to Medicines Regime

[John Fulton]

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Biolyse Press Release: Canada adds Oseltamivir to Canadian Access to
Medicines Regime

Biolyse Pharma Corporation announced today that the Governor General of
Canada has approved and signed an order in council following Biolyse
Pharma's request to amend Schedule 1 to the Patent Act to add "oseltamivir
phosphate", in both capsule form as well as in powder for oral suspension,
to the list of patented pharmaceutical products eligible to be exported
under compulsory license of the Canada's Access to Medicines Regime (CAMR).

John R. Fulton, Executive Vice President of Biolyse Pharma, commented that
"All Canadians should be proud of the work that all levels of government an=
d
non-government groups like Consumer Project on Technology, HIV/Aids Legal
Network and Doctors Without Borders have done to make this a reality. Canad=
a
is the world's first country to adopt the World Trade Organisation's Genera=
l
Council 2003 decision and make real efforts to implement it. Rick Dykstra M=
P
St.Catharines has been instrumental in making sure that the Biolyse request
has been at the top of the federal government's "to do list". The Governmen=
t
of Canada is showing that it is not only committed to improving access to
less expensive medicines urgently needed to treat HIV/AIDS and other
diseases in developing countries, but also to global public health like the
Bird Flu Pandemic".

Fulton further added: "We also would like to take this opportunity to
express our concerns on the procedure to amend Schedule 1. The procedure
designed in Article 21.03 (1) of the Patent Act requires a Governor in
Council decision following the recommendation of both the Minister of
Industry and the Minister of Health. During the process of drafting and
passing the Jean Chr=E9tien Pledge to Africa Act, stakeholders were repeate=
dly
assured that it would be a simple, rapid process for Governor in Council to
add products to Schedule 1, but unfortunately it has not been the case.
Biolyse Pharma formally requested the amendment in February 2006, more than
7 months have been needed to amend Schedule 1".

This announcement means that Biolyse can now fully industrialize their
innovative process for making a generic version of Tamiflu, complete their
application for regulatory approval and apply to Health Canada for a
compulsory license. Under the JCPA Act over one hundred developing nations
qualify for importation of Biolyse's low cost version of Tamiflu. Biolyse
will be marketing their medicine at approximately 25% of the current world
wide selling price.

Contact:
John Fulton
EVP Biolyse Pharma Corporation
1-905-932-7873
fulton@biolyse.ca
www.biolyse.ca
http://camr-rcam.hc-sc.gc.ca/index_e.html


Press coverage:
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=3Dthestar/Layout/Ar=
tic
le_Type1&c=3DArticle&cid=3D1159393810945&call_pageid=3D968350072197&col=3D9=
690488638
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http://www.medindia.net/news/view_news_main.asp?x=3D14630
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=3D651a922e-0=
2ef
-4a15-ba79-34b9675b0b67
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=3D96d1be42-e9a2-4187-=
a5b
9-80ee6607f6bc&k=3D75275
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=3D99d30012-01a1-41=
f3-
ae25-9abd32f71cdf
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/business/story.html?id=3D0e1ea93=
8-f
371-4316-98f9-47509bf5d5d5
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=3D96d1be42-e9a2-4187=
-a5
b9-80ee6607f6bc&k=3D75275
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=3D96d1be42-e=
9a2
-4187-a5b9-80ee6607f6bc&k=3D75275
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/health/060927/x092722.html
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=3D20601082&sid=3Da3iAW8wuUu84&refer=
=3Dcanad
a



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