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Meeting with Phil McColeman, Member of Parliament (Conservative Party)
IGAM met with Phil McColeman to discuss IGAM's proposal regarding priority review vouchers implementation in Orphan Drug Regulatory Framework. -
Meeting with Jillian Kohler
Meeting with Jillian Kohler, Associate Professor and Director of Global Health at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. IGAM presented their policy brief to Jillian Kohler and was able to gain support and valuable insights on how to further progress IGAM's advoacy campaign. -
Meeting with Mike Allen, Member of Parliament (Conservative Party)
IGAM met with Mike Allen to discuss IGAM's proposal regarding priority review vouchers implementation in Orphan Drug Regulatory Framework. -
Meeting with David Ridley, Duke Researcher & Founder of Priority Review Vouchers
By holding a teleconference meeting (via Skype) with David Ridley, a Duke researcher who developed PRVs in the United States, IGAM gained insight into the successes and limitations of PRVs, and were able to develop a policy brief proposal that was compatible with the Canadian government system. -
Meeting with Dr. Wong-Reiger
Through an in person meeting with Dr. Durhane Wong-Reiger (Director and CEO of Canadian Organization for Rare Diseases), IGAM was able to introduce the idea of PRVs to stakeholders responsible for bringing ODRF to Canadian legislation. Ultimately, this led to IGAM’s invite to and presentation at CORD’s conference on ODRF, and opened up greater opportunities to gather the support of additional stakeholders present at the conference. -
Attended the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Health (HESA) meeting
HESA is a parliamentary committee in Ottawa, Ontario that addresses health policy related issues and reviews bills proposed to parliament. A representative of IGAM attended a committee meeting in which HESA chair was nominated. From this experience, IGAM learned the important political stakeholders and how they will play a key role in finalizing the ODRF bill. Through networking at the HESA election meeting, IGAM was able to garner support and feedback with regards to our policy proposal. -
Meeting with Robert Shearer, Director General of Office of International Affairs for the Health Portfolio
IGAM held a teleconference with Robert Shearer, Directer General of the Office of International Affairs for the Health Portfolio, to discuss the various feasibility components regarding PRVs in Canada to further develop our policy proposal. -
Meeting with Mike Wallace, Member of Parliament (Conservative Party)
IGAM met with Mike Wallace to discuss IGAM's proposal regarding priority review vouchers implementation in Orphan Drug Regulatory Framework. -
Attended the Queens University Health & Human Right Conference
The two-day conference in Kingston Ontario's aim was to gather together academic stakeholders from across Canada to engaged in conversation regarding health as it pertains to human rights issues. A representative of IGAM attended the conference and gained insights relevant to IGAM’s goals. By networking with various stakeholders, IGAM shared our policy idea and gained support from Stephen Lewis, board chair of the Stephen Lewis Foundation and Ms. Jacalyn Duffin, Queens Medical School Professor. -
IGAM’s first print appearance
One of the founding members of IGAM was a co-author of an op-ed published in The Ottawa Citizen, on Nov 4, 2013. The op-ed discussed the failing of Canada’s Access to Medicine Regime (CAMR) and the need for bold action regarding global access to medicine. The op-ed can be accessed from the following link: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/op-ed/years+failure+provide+medicine/9122210/story.html -
Meeting with Industry Canada Directors
IGAM held a teleconference with Directors of Patent Policy (Denis Martel) and Pharmaceutical sector of Industry Canada (Mark Schaan) to discuss the various feasibility components regarding PRVs in Canada to further develop our policy proposal. -
CORD conference first day
In this plenary, IGAM was honoured the opportunity to present their policy proposal and introduce the idea of a PRV system in order to stimulate research and development for ultra-rare and neglected diseases. IGAM networked with several stakeholders and patient groups during this time. -
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Consultations Towards a National Plan for Rare Diseases - CORD Conference (Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders)
CORD is a national organization with a mandate to provide a strong common voice in advocating for health policy and a healthcare system that encompasses consideration for rare disorder patients. Given their devotion to implementing the ODRF, CORD comprises of important stakeholders with direct influence on IGAM’s goals. In October, three IGAM representatives met with president of CORD, Dr. Wong-Reiger. Upon presenting our proposal, we were invited to a conference held by CORD. -
CORD conference second day
The second day of the CORD conference was largely focused on Canadian experiences of access to drugs for rare diseases and how its challenges could be overcome. Throughout the conference, IGAM networked with several patient groups, pharmaceutical company representatives and other stakeholders in order to gain perspective solicit support for a PRV System. -
Op-ed on The Silhouette
Few founding members of IGAM collectively wrote an op-ed for the Silhouette that published alongside the article. The op-ed also discussed the failing of CAMR and how the lesson learned from CAMR can be incorporated to succeed in future advocacy campaigns. Then, the op-ed discussed the current mission of IGAM to implement the PRVs into the ODRF and what progress have been made so far to accomplish it. The op-ed can be accessed from: http://www.thesil.ca/making-medicine-accessible-worldwide -
McMaster Silhouette article on IGAM
The Silhouette, a McMaster University’s student-run newspaper, published an article on the founding members of IGAM and how IGAM was formed. The article can be accessed from the following link: hhttp://www.thesil.ca/health-science-students-take-learning-outside-the-classroom -
Meeting with Charlie Angus, Member of Parliament (NDP Party)
IGAM met with Mike Wallace to discuss IGAM's proposal regarding priority review vouchers implementation in Orphan Drug Regulatory Framework.