Removing barriers? An overview of the Canadian Access to Medicines Regime

As a result of significant public health issues in the developing world, there has been a strong desire to increase access to available treatments. In 2005, Canada amended its Patent Act to create the Canadian Access to Medicines Regime ("CAMR") to provide a mechanism whereby a Canadian manufacturer could produce patented pharmaceutical products for export to countries experiencing public health crises. As one of the first countries to enact such a detailed legislative regime, Canada attempted to create a model for addressing the problems created by the intersection of public health and patents. In 2007, Rwanda indicated its intention to import an HIV-drug from the Canadian generic manufacture Apotex. Rwanda's application marked the first time a country had utilized the CAMR in order to obtain essential medicines. This article examines the Canadian CAMR model, its origins, and its effectiveness to date.