Government policies surrounding the pricing and reimbursement of prescription drugs in Canada do not produce lower costs for Canadians compared to Americans. Despite major differences between the Canadian and American healthcare systems, the results of a recent study show that consumers in both countries are spending the same percentage of their incomes on prescription drugs.

Recently released mid-year intellectual property rights seizure statistics reveal that the value of counterfeit pharmaceuticals seized has increased by 660 percent in the past year. While China was the source of over 80 percent of U.S. Customs and Border Protection product seizure last year, the other top 5 leading sources of seized products are Pakistan, Egypt, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

According to a recent report comparing Canadian and European healthcare systems, Canada ranked 23rd out of 30 countries. When the quality of care delivered was compared with the cost of providing that care, Canada fell to the very bottom of the list in terms of value for money.

The World Health Organization (WHO), which has been intensely debating intellectual property (IP) rights issues, has restructured its management of the issues, elevating IP to the director general’s office. This move follows the close of the second meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (IGWG), which adjourned with no agreed strategy or plan of action amidst concerns raised by patient groups that the issue has become polarized and that the IGWG process has gone off-track.

According to a report recently released by the Government Accountability Office, over 2,000 foreign drug manufacturers subject to inspection by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may never have been visited by agency inspectors.