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Canadian Government Slammed Over 'Intransigence' On Compulsory Licensing

 
• By Francesca Bruce

The Canadian government has come under fire for failing to take the necessary steps that would allow a Canadian company to produce generic versions of COVID-19 vaccines.

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Barriers remain to compulsory licensing in Canada • Source: Alamy

The Canadian government is afraid that adding COVID-19 vaccines to the list of products that can be subject to a compulsory license would “incur the wrath of the pharmaceutical industry,” says John Fulton, executive vice-president of the Canadian company Biolyse, which has been trying to secure a compulsory license to manufacture a generic version of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The claim, made in an open letter to François-Philippe Champagne, Canada's minister of innovation, science and industry, comes after...

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