O Canada!: A look at cool Canadian health innovation

Many Canadians have played – and continue to play – a defining role in our nation’s health.

A special thank you to Kathleen Dickson and Dr. John Bergeron for pointing out that yes, indeed, there are also many women who have made – and continue to make – significant contributions to health. We have added their additions below, but this list is by no means complete.

HAART treatment

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) treatment is responsible for halting the progression of HIV to AIDS, effectively ending a death sentence for many around the world. In 1996, a team led by Dr. Julio Montaner out of the B.C. Centre for Excellence developed this cocktail of three drugs (Nevirapine, Didanosine and Zidovudine) to be taken daily.

He also focused on getting HAART access to hard to reach populations, like injection drug users.

By 2014, it was adopted by the UN as part of the formal strategy for fighting HIV/AIDS globally.

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