Tuesday, July 29, 2003

From TheOrator.com:
Pharmaceutical Market Access Act of 2003
Text of the legislation which passed in the House of Representatives on Friday.
From KMAC-TV (Lubbock, TX):
Massachusetts city buying drugs from Canada to save money
(Note: This article was picked up by dozens of news outlets)
Springfield, Massachusetts is going north of the border in an effort to save millions of dollars.

The city is now buying prescription drugs from Canada for some city workers and retirees. Mayor Michael Albano says they can purchase the same drugs for 20 to 80 percent less.

The city of 152-thousand people, which is self-insured, could save up to four (m) million dollars depending on how many of its nine-thousand workers and retirees sign up for the voluntary option.

From the Casper (WY) Star Tribune:
Cubin opposes drug reimportation
Comments from a Wyoming congresswoman who voted against the bill in the House last Friday.

From Newsday:
Find Way to Allow Importation of Lower-Cost Drugs
The House would allow drugs to be imported from the European Union and other Western countries in addition to Canada. And while the House bill includes anti-tampering protections, it does not require HHS certification that imported drugs impose no additional risk.

From the Fitchburg (MA) Sentinel:
Sale of Canadian drugs could help U.S. consumers
From the Portsmouth (NH) Herald:
Massachusetts city buying prescription drugs from Canada
This cash-strapped New England city began buying prescription drugs in Canada this month for some city workers and retirees in hopes of saving millions of dollars.

''It boggles the mind that we can purchase the exact same drugs for 20 percent to 80 percent less in Canada,'' Mayor Michael Albano said Monday. ''As far as I am concerned, it would be irresponsible not to take advantage of the savings.''

From WKRN.com (Nashville):
Business brings Canadian drugs to TN
A new storefront opens in Nashville.

From the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix:
New U.S. bill won't affect online pharmacy
A representative from Saskatchewan's only international pharmacy comments on the passing of the Pharmaceutical Market Access Act of 2003.
From the Gloucester County (NJ) Times:
General store links to Canada to shave medical costs
The American Drug Club franchise opens an outlet within a general store in Westville.

From The Advocate:
Senate unlikely to pass drug importation bill
...The bill passed 243-186 in the House, but congressional sources say the measure faces a "solid bipartisan wall" in the Senate that will likely lead to its defeat...

From the Boston Globe:
Canada vows drugs sent to US are safe
''We have a very similar approach in terms of the approval of clinical trials, the approval process for drugs, and also the monitoring of the import and export of drugs,'' said Etienne Ouimette, Canada's drug safety inspection chief, in a telephone interview. ''We have a very strong and rigorous process.''

From the Gloucester County (NJ) Times:
Andrews, LoBiondo fail to block measure to allow drug imports
Ten out of 13 New Jersey lawmakers at 2:51 a.m. Friday voted against a bill that would authorize pharmacies, wholesalers and pharmacy benefit management companies to import low-cost medications from Canada, Europe and other industrialized nations.

From the (Toronto) Globe and Mail:
Net pharmacies cheer new U.S. import bill
"This is very good news because the framers of the U.S. legislation have addressed the straw-man arguments about safety of imports that the U.S. drug industry has used to fight the reimportation issue."

From the Washington Post:
Pharmacies Willing to Buy From Overseas
Some U.S. pharmacies would be willing to buy American-made drugs overseas at lower cost under a new law being considered in Congress, industry executives said yesterday.

From CBC News:
Cdn drug sales in U.S. won't benefit Cdn pharmaceutical companies: analysts
"From my perspective, the major point in this whole thing is the United States isn't looking after their citizens," said Wayne Hindmarsh, dean of pharmacy at the University of Toronto.

From Bloomberg.com:
House Approves Bill to Allow Drug Imports From Canada
The U.S. House passed a bill to allow Americans to buy drugs from countries such as Canada, where government controls keep prices lower.

More than 1 million people in the U.S. use the Internet or take bus tours to Canada to buy drugs at an average discount of 67 percent, consumer advocates estimated. U.S. regulators generally don't enforce the law against purchases as long as people buy no more than a three-month supply for themselves.

Monday, July 28, 2003

From Yahoo News:
Canadian Pharmacy Group Applauds U.S. House Vote Approving Imported Prescription Drugs
The Canadian International Pharmacy Association, Canada's leading group of pharmacies which provide international prescription services to U.S. patients, applauds the outcome of the vote by the members of the U.S. House of Representatives on the Pharmaceutical Market Access Act of 2003. Members from both sides of the House voted to pass the legislation (243 to 186) last Friday morning.

From the Edmonton Journal:
Latest in U.S. home parties: Canadian pharmaceuticals
Coffee and cookies are waiting. A pleasant-looking woman hands out papers and smiles warmly.

The only thing between you and cheaper medication, she says, is your signature on the dotted line.

From the San Fransisco Chronicle:
House OKs buying of imported drugs
The House, prodded by seniors' complaints about soaring costs for prescription drugs, approved a measure Friday to allow U.S consumers access to lower-cost drugs from Canada and other countries.

Sunday, July 27, 2003

Name change
In an attempt to make this site a more accessible resource, I've purchased the domain name www.canadapharmacynews.com, and this blog will shortly be switched over to that site. There will be a lot of changes, including medical information, a Canadian pharmacy buying guide, and a plethora of links.
From the Rockdale (GA) Citizen:
Prescription drug prices force many to seek alternatives
A Georgia woman looks to Canada to buy affordable medication.

From the Montreal Gazette:
Consumers might lose if U.S. drug bill passes
Some opinions regarding how Canadians may be affected by the new American legislation.

Thursday, July 24, 2003

From the Sacramento Bee:
House ponders letting seniors shop globally for cheap drugs
"Lawmakers now say they realize that many Americans already are buying medicines overseas, often through the mail or over the Internet, and that there have been few reports of people being harmed."

From NBC10.com (Philadelphia):
Storefronts Selling Drugs From Canada
A couple of storefronts have opened in the Delaware Valley.

Tuesday, July 22, 2003

From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:
There are more ways than ever to buy prescriptions from Canada
Storefronts arrive in Pittsburgh.

From KTAL-TV (Shreveport, LA):
New Business Looks to Canada for Prescription Drugs
A very brief article on the Rx Depot storefront operation in Texarkana.

Monday, July 21, 2003

From CNN.com:
Senate votes to allow drug importation from Canada
"The Senate on Friday passed a measure that would allow U.S. pharmacies to import lower-priced prescription drugs from Canada and sell them to consumers here. "
From the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel:
FDA warns buying drugs from Canada can carry risks
This article compares the incidence of drug counterfeiting between Canada and the United States.

"Those who support the idea say drugs from north of the border are clean. Canada has not had to recall any drugs because of counterfeiting or mishandling in more than a decade. The United States has had at least 20 such recalls starting in 2001."

From Forbes:
Florida Moves to Kill an Industry
(Third item)
A very brief rundown on the battle in Florida between pharmacy officials and storefronts.

Saturday, July 19, 2003

From the New Bedford (MA) Standard:
Rx from Canada
A report on a new storefront. A good overview of the storefront industry.

From Polkonline.com:
Firm helps medication buyers shop in Canada
Another storefront in Florida opens up shop.

Friday, July 18, 2003

From the Toronto Star:
Big Pharma blames Canada
"If Canada and other nations are such potential havens of unsafe drugs, why did the United States import almost $15 billion (U.S.) in brand-name drugs from overseas plants last year?"

From the Tuscaloosa (AL) News:
Quest for cheaper drugs has some looking north
A story about a storefront in Alabama.

Wednesday, July 16, 2003

From the St. Petersburg (FL) Times:
Fight against Canadian drugs stumbles on paper
The Florida State Board of Pharmacy, which is mounting an ad campaign against Canadian pharmacy sales in their state, has acutally granted licenses to two Canadian drugstore. The regulators insist the licenses were "inadvertently issued."

From the Gloucester County (NJ) Times:
Lower prices with strings
A New Jersey storefront operator is organizing the "Great American Prescription Tragedy. He intends to send Congress voided copies of prescriptions from individuals unable to afford the cost of the medications.

From the Honolulu Advertiser:
Seniors put relief ahead of drug law
Buying medications from Canada has arrived in Hawaii.