Template for letters to MPs re access to HIV drugs

May 1, 2007

Name, MP
House of Commons
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Ontario,
K1A 0A6

Dear Name:

I am writing as a member of Grandmothers of Steel, a group of women in the Hamilton area who raise awareness and money for African grandmothers caring for AIDS orphans. We belong to a network of more than 150 groups across Canada who support the Stephen Lewis Foundation's Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign. We are deeply concerned about the HIV/AIDS pandemic, especially as it affects sub-Saharan Africa. Our goals are awareness, advocacy and fundraising for more than 13 million African orphans who are being cared for by grandmothers in desperate need of assistance. Our members are distressed that millions of adults and children with AIDS in Africa and other developing countries are dying because they do not have access to cheaper generic anti-retroviral drugs. The Canadian Access to Medicines Regime is not working. Since being unanimously supported by Parliament in May 2004, not a single drug has left Canada. We ask that you urge the Prime Minister, members of your caucus, and members of the Standing Committee on Industry to find a way to speed the export of less expensive generic anti-retroviral drugs to developing countries.Please direct your efforts to ensuring that the government adopts the specific proposals contained in the document "Delivering on the Pledge". These proposals for fixing the legislation have been endorsed by many credible Canadian non-governmental organizations and academic and other experts.Under the proposed changes, Canada would:? Implement a "one licence solution" to the current complexity of the legislation. This would allow the manufacture and export of generic medicines to eligible developing countries based on one simple licence, without needing to specify predetermined quantities of medications, while still requiring that royalties be paid to patent-holders based on the amount exported and the countries to which medicines are exported. UnderCAMR, generic drug companies are restricted to exporting specified amounts to just one country at a time, and only as outlined in any single contract with the developing country.? Ensure that there is no requirement to disclose recipient countries that are on the eligible list until contracts have been signed. Currently, eligible countries are unwilling to be identified and enter negotiations because of fear of reprisals.? Eliminate the current two-year time limit on licences, and instead allow licences to run for the remaining duration of the patent. We are doing what we can as citizens. What is desperately needed is for our government and other governments to do much more. We appeal to you to ensure that our Canadian government does all that it can to halt the AIDS pandemic, including immediately fixing the CAMR legislation and regulations.

Yours sincerely,

Your Name