Shire Canada supports initiative for further access to antiretroviral medicine for Rwanda

Shire Canada Inc., a division of Shire plc, announced today its voluntary cooperation to enable further royalty-free access to HIV/AIDS medicines for Rwanda as part of ongoing collaborative efforts to improve health and save lives in the developing world.

Shire reconfirms its support of Canada's Access to Medicines Regime (CAMR) to enable a Canadian generic company to manufacture in Canada a fixed dose triple combination antiretroviral medicine that contains a drug (3TC(R)) over which Shire Canada holds patent rights in Canada.

"Shire is totally supportive of this initiative, and will work collaboratively with government and non-governmental agencies worldwide to help secure medicines for those that request it", said Claude Perron, Vice-President and General Manager, Shire Canada. "Our industry wide efforts are aimed not only at preventing and treating HIV/AIDS but also tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases that affect sub Saharan Africa."

Canada's Access to Medicines Regime is based on an August 2003 World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement which permits WTO member countries with pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity to issue licences for the manufacture and export of generic versions of patented drugs and medical devices to developing countries that do not have the capacity to manufacture the products themselves.