Oppose restrictions on access to generic medicines

UNAIDS recently announced that the number of new HIV infections each year in the world has fallen by one-third since 2001.

This success story is a direct result of many countries putting their efforts and funding into HIV prevention and treatment. Antiretroviral drugs, developed in 1996, became widely available in the middle of the last decade and have had an amazing impact on the death rate from acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

However welcome this news, we cannot become complacent. In 2012, 2.3 million people worldwide became infected with HIV. We have yet to reach the global tipping point where the number of new infections is less than the number of infected people started on HIV treatment.

In sub-Saharan Africa where the epidemic is worst, about 470,000 children die each year from AIDS. Most of them contract HIV from their mothers during birth or via breast milk, and half of the children infected die before they reach two years in age. The reasons for these sad statistics are many, with poverty, gender inequality and lack of access to medicines being some of the most important.

Jenny Neal
The Star Phoenix
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During the Canada Post strike announced September 25, 2025, the following measures will be undertaken to minimize service disruption to BC-CfE clients and providers.

  • The BC-CfE Laboratory has transitioned to private courier for delivery of outgoing reports and documents. Results required urgently can be faxed upon request. (Lab Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8775; FAX 604-806-9463)
  • The BC-CfE Drug Treatment Program (DTP) will fax outgoing forms and documents to the provider’s office. (DTP Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8515; FAX 604-806-9044)
  • St. Paul’s Hospital Ambulatory Pharmacy has transitioned to private courier for delivery of medications. We recommend requesting medication at least 2 weeks in advance in case of delivery delays, particularly to rural/remote parts of BC. (Contact Information: Phone 1-800-547-3622; FAX 604-806-8675)

During the Canada Post strike, we recommend that documents be faxed or couriered to our sites, versus utilization of regular mail service

The BC-CfE Laboratory is streamlining reporting processes for certain tests in order to simplify distribution and record-keeping, and to ensure completeness of results. Beginning September 2, 2025, results for the ‘Resistance Analysis of HIV-1 Protease and Reverse Transcriptase’ (Protease-RT) and ‘HIV-1 Integrase Resistance Genotype’ tests will be combined into a single ‘HIV-1 Resistance Genotype Report’.
For more details and example reports, please click on the button below

Laboratory Order Forms

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