ARE Canadians about to be turned into guinea pigs for testing drugs? Or will they be blessed with a pioneering system of “smart” regulation that sweeps aside the usual obstacles between new drugs and patients?
The only certainty is that the Canadian government’s Food and Consumer Safety Action Plan, discussed in parliament on 8 April, is dividing opinions within Canada and beyond.
The plan’s so-called “progressive licensing” system will break new ground by streamlining the usual requirements for proving that a drug works and is safe before approval. But the quid pro quo is that once a drug is approved, pharmaceutical companies will be obliged to continue tracking it forever.…
