Canada spent a lot of money on a COVID-19 therapeutic that has been a flop. The deal reflects the financialized state of drug development and the nation-state's failure to stop it.
Canadian patients, scientists and health systems are paying the price for this failed policy experiment, which is not what our country needs at this critical moment.
If the government is serious about ensuring access to prescription drugs and vaccines to all, it must stand up to pressure from Big Pharma on pricing reforms.
Hydroxychloroquine was touted as a miracle cure for COVID-19 by Trump, then finished 2020 plagued with concerns about adverse cardiac events. But HCQ is a remarkable medication with a fascinating history.
The issue of drug shortages is a critical one and deserves a sober, evidence-based policy discussion by governments and experts. Generic drug manufacturing should not be nationalized for three reasons.
This pandemic, like the Spanish flu at the height of the Progressive era, is a chance for a burst of creativity in policy-making and a commitment to building new institutions.