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Politics : America Under Siege: The End of Innocence -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: microhoogle! who wrote (8351)	10/23/2001 11:32:08 AM
From: Zoltan!	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27684

Doubtful that the US will need any "clone". No need to void patents, there are many many alternatives: NYTimes October 23, 2001 THE GENERICS Other Drugs to Combat Anthrax Are in Ample Supply By REED ABELSON and ANDREW POLLACK Despite concerns over a possible shortage of Cipro, the antibiotic most widely used to treat anthrax, government officials and drug makers say there is an ample supply of other drugs that are effective against the potentially deadly bacterium.... nytimes.com And many of the alternatives don't have Cipro's many negative side effects.

To: microhoogle! who wrote (8351)	10/23/2001 11:53:21 AM
From: Michael Watkins	Respond to of 27684

>> The "clone" drug company, I believe is in full compliance with the patent laws. You might want to check your facts before throwing such wild allegations. << Not in Canada they aren't. No wild allegations here. The Minister of Health was essentially forced to admit as much in the House of Commons yesterday. Consider these simple facts. Ottawa pays twice for Cipro [Globe and Mail Tuesday Oct 23 2001] Ottawa — Ottawa has agreed to pay twice for an anti-anthrax drug after acknowledging that it broke its own drug-patent rules in its rush to protect Canadians from the bacterium. ... The deal addresses an embarrassing situation for Health Minister Allan Rock, whose department went around its Patent Act to buy the drug, saying it could not get the pharmaceutical from Bayer. Government sources said a departmental employee erred by not going to the country's patent commissioner for approval to circumvent the act. ... Also Monday, Industry Minister Brian Tobin, a potential leadership rival, said the Patent Act must be respected. "Very clearly, if you have a law, and if you have an adequate supply, and if you have drug-patent protection, and if you have a supplier, and if you have an adequate supply, then that supply and that supplier should be called on first. That's what ought to happen," Mr. Tobin said. ----- LOL the Minister's own cabinet colleagues are saying that the Health Ministry screwed up and broke patent law. Bayer could have taken them to court and won, handily. ----- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 19, 2001 Apotex a big Liberal Party contributor OTTAWA - Just what was behind the Liberal government's decision to sidestep its own Patent Act and place a $1.3-million order for Cipro with Toronto-based generic drug manufacturer Apotex Inc.? Bayer AG, which owns the patent for Cipro, claims it could have filled Health Canada's order for the drug, contrary to statements by Health Minister Allan Rock. "The Health Minister has arbitrarily changed the rules and now he owes Canadians a full explanation as to why he has purchased a generic version of Cipro that hasn't even gone through the field tests required for certification," says PC DR Coalition deputy leader, Chuck Strahl. Strahl notes that Apotex has been a big contributor to the Liberal Party of Canada over the years. Last year, the company contributed more than $15,000.00 to Liberal coffers-more than $46,000.00 over the past four years. - 30 - For more information, please contact: Chuck Strahl, MP (613) 992-2940 [mw: not sure I call those amounts BIG, but hey, this is Canada, eh?] -----------

To: microhoogle! who wrote (8351)	10/24/2001 12:30:42 PM
From: Zoltan!	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27684

>>The "clone" drug company, I believe is in full compliance with the patent laws. You might want to check your facts before throwing such wild allegations. Embarrassed Canada backs down on its patently illegal maneuver to secure "clone" Cipro: ...Legal experts said the government had not completed the procedures required under its own intellectual property legislation for over-riding Bayer's patent, and would have found it difficult to justify its decision by claiming a national emergency, given that there had been no recent cases of anthrax in Canada. Mr Rock acknowledged his department had not followed the required procedure. But he said Bayer had told his officials last week it was unable to meet the original order, a claim the company denies. "Bayer is playing a bit of shell game [a confidence trick] here," he said. Bayer declined to comment on his remarks. Under the deal with Health Canada, the version of the drug made by Apotex will be surrendered to Bayer and eventually destroyed. Bayer also agreed to supply 1m tablets of Cipro to Health Canada "upon request". The company said it expected to supply the drug "at the best available price". The climbdown is embarrassing for Canada's government and particularly to Mr Rock, who has ambitions to become prime minister. In a statement, Health Canada said it "recognises the validity of Bayer Inc's Cipro patents and the fact that Bayer Inc is the only Canadian manufacturer holding a notice of compliance that establishes the safety and efficacy of Cipro".... news.ft.com