To: Biomaven who wrote (9610 ) 11/30/2003 5:02:17 PM From: Ian@SI Respond to It only took days for the Canadian Government to get Cipro from a generic provider when its manufacturer said it had supply problems. (shortly after the Anthrax attacks in the states) If I remember correctly, those supply problems disappeared very quickly. Pharma are attempting to limit supply to Canada to prevent re-exportation. But this strategy still has to be tested against an angry Canada when local shortages emerge. The Canadians might be tough - threaten compulsory licenses to generic companies, for example. We might get a decade-long new drug drought ... Perhaps big Pharma might cut back on some of its less productive expenditures. e.g. - funding post approval studies, not otherwise required, which seem to have a sole purpose of getting some clinician to make some highly publicized pronouncement about how wonderful a particular patented drug is; or, hold fewer conventions in less exotic destinations, with less generous allowances for the attending physicians and their "guest".
