Attention: News and Health Editors
July 13, 2000
For Immediate Release
Canadian Company prepared to provide low cost
AIDS treatments within months
Apotex Inc. responds to calls for patent suspensions
from participants at International AIDS Conference
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA – Canadian generic
pharmaceutical manufacturer Apotex Inc. said today that it can have low cost alternatives
to the major AIDS treatments available for developing countries within months if the
Canadian Federal Government will grant it the needed compulsory licenses under the Patent
Act.
Earlier this week at the 13th Annual International AIDS
conference in Durban, South Africa, Canada’s Minister of International Co-operation,
Maria Minna, is quoted as saying that Canada supports the use of international agreements
to make lower priced generic AIDS drugs accessible to developing countries, especially in
cases of emergencies.
"The Minister is quite right when she says that the fight against
AIDS is war and that we must use every weapon we have to fight it," said Jack Kay,
President and COO of Apotex Inc. "If Canada is willing to take the lead in this
fight, Apotex will dedicate its chemical plants and pharmaceutical factories to the
cause."
Brantford Chemicals in Brantford Ontario, an Apotex affiliate, can
produce the active chemical ingredients for the 5 major AIDS drugs, which would then be
formulated by Apotex. Apotex with Brantford currently sell Zidovudine (AZT) in Canada.
"The Apotex Group is prepared to provide these treatments for use
in the countries that desperately need them at cost," Kay said. "This is clearly
an international emergency and those of us that can help, must."
We encourage the federal government to immediately use its
powers under the Patent Act to grant the licenses that are required to save people who are
dying needlessly."
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For additional information, please contact:
Elie Betito
Director, Public & Government Affairs
Apotex Inc.
Tel: (416) 749-9300
Fax: (416) 401-3835
E-mail: ebetito@apotex.ca
