One of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world is fighting a dirty war against Canada. Last year, Eli Lilly filed a lawsuit against Canada for $500 million dollars for passing policy that lets companies to make affordable versions of its medicines. But now they're playing really dirty and are lobbying in Washington to get Canada added to a "watch list" of countries that aren't friendly enough to investors.

This is intimidation pure and simple. The $4.3 billion dollars profit Eli Lilly earned in 2011 wasn't enough and now it wants to earn more -- and Eli Lilly will stop at nothing to ensure that no laws get in the way of profits.

These profit-seeking lawsuits and back-room lobbying have to stop now. If other companies realize they can sue and lobby to get their way, this could be just the beginning of bad news for Canadian laws and democracy. Speak out now against Eli Lilly and tell it to stop its lawsuit now.

Eli Lilly: Drop your baseless, profit-motivated lawsuit against the Canadian government.

This lawsuit will cost Canadian taxpayers hundreds of thousands dollars in legal fees that corporate lobbyists will pocket. And if the Canadian government loses the case, we will have to pay out $500 million dollars of our tax money to Eli Lilly. In the long run, Canadians will have to pay higher prices to access Lilly's expensive ADHD and schizophrenia drugs.

This is the first attempt by a pharmaceutical corporation to use the NAFTA clause to sue for lost profits. And you'd better bet that corporations and governments around the world are watching this case as this could open floodgates to more lawsuits -- and could encourage corporations to use dirtier tactics to get their way. That's why we need to act now. 

Currently, the Canadian government is negotiating a number of other top secret trade agreements that allow corporations to sue governments like Eli Lilly is trying to do. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Canadian-China FIPA deal could make these kinds of profit-seeking lawsuits our reality everyday. 

We’ve gone up against big corporations using trade deals to expand their profits before, and we can stop them again. Let’s stop the lawsuits against Canadians by corporations seeking more profits before they happen. Call on Eli Lilly now to drop its ridiculous lawsuit.

Tell Eli Lilly to drop its ridiculous $500 million dollar lawsuit against Canadians.

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More Information:

Lilly ramps up NAFTA fight over loss of patents, Globe and Mail, 15 July 2013

Eli Lilly vs. Canada: The Patent War Moves to Washington, Wall Street Journal, 14 April 2014