Rx&D analysis reveals 'major flaws' in Canadian generic drug industry study

Responding to comments by the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA) on newly-released date claiming significant value for generics (The Pharma Letter March 31), Russell Williams, president of Canada’s Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D) said the study was designed to stoke fears and distract from the value of world-class intellectual property protection.

He said the report “contains major flaws and advances their self-serving position that weak intellectual property (IP) rules should be an effective way to control health care costs,” and the report “is the latest chapter of a predictable ‘sky is falling’ campaign against innovation. It ignores the fact that IP improvements over the past 25 years have generated an 800% increase in pharmaceutical research and development investment in Canada.”

Mr Williams said: “The CGPA report should be discounted by Canadian governments and stakeholders because it is based on a flawed underlying assumption - that health care costs should be controlled by maintaining weak and ineffective IP protection. Using IP to control health care costs is ineffective, inconsistent with the practices of our major trading partners, and, most importantly, counterproductive to Canada’s best interests.”