AFRICA HAS NOT BENEFITED FROM CANADIAN DRUG LEGISLATION

Canada is yet to act on legislation it passed two years ago to enable the supply of affordable anti-AIDS drugs to Africa, according to international organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

The legislation, which drew worldwide praise at the time, would be used to pressure Canadian drugmakers to offer patented drug formulations to generic producers if poor countries requested them.

However, an MSF official has said that no drugs from Canada have been supplied to Africa under the legislation.

The official said the organization plans to address the issue at the upcoming International AIDS Conference in Toronto, and will urge the international community to enact similar legislation to speed the delivery of drugs for AIDS, malaria and other diseases to Africa and the developing world.