Thursday, August 07, 2003

From the (Toronto) Globe and Mail:
U.S. drug boycott threat called 'ridiculous'
It's inconceivable that multinational drug companies will stop shipping pharmaceuticals to Canada as part of a political battle to break the back of Canadian Internet pharmacies that supply American consumers, industry sources say.

"These [drug] companies have Canadian patents and if they stop selling or if significant shortages of patented products crop up, the Canadian government can step in and have a generic drug maker supply that product."

From the National Post:
U.S. drug firms set to boycott Canada
U.S.-based drug companies may halt their sales to Canada to prevent Canadian companies from selling U.S.-manufactured pharmaceuticals back into the United States at steep discounts, according to U.S. industry representatives and health care experts.

From the Canadian Press:
Transborder trade in drugs could lead to drug shortages, say industry groups
A growing transborder trade in cheaper Canadian pharmaceuticals has drug manufacturers fighting back and worries some pharmacy groups.

Health Canada said it is watching the situation but sees no evidence that Canadians are being hurt.

But some see potential dangers if more and more Americans look to Canadian pharmacies to fill their prescriptions. They say it could exacerbate a shortage of pharmacists in Canada and perhaps lead to drug shortages here.

From CBC Manitoba:
Major drug company restricts shipments to Canada
Chief pharmacist Darren Jorgenson for CanadaMeds, an online pharmacy based in Winnipeg, says many internet pharmacies are now at risk of shutting down and he's worried about that could mean for his American customers.

"Many of our patients can't afford the prices that these companies charge for their medications in the U.S., so often they go without," he says. "This move will just increase the difficulty these patients are going to have in obtaining the medications they need."

From the (Toronto) Globe and Mail:
Pfizer takes aim at resale of drugs
A recent survey of seven countries, including Canada and the United States, showed that U.S. drug prices were 67 per cent higher than those in Canada.

However, Canadian prices aren't out of line with other countries in the study.

From The Advocate:
Online drugstore offers Canadian prices to U.S. gays and lesbians
Developed specifically to cater to gays and lesbians in the United States who seek cheaper prescription medications from Canada, a new online pharmacy opened this month that allows American consumers to buy drugs from across the border at a fraction of their U.S. cost.

From Pioneer Press Online (IL):
Wheeling store brings cheaper Canada medicines to area
"One woman who called heard how much she was going to pay and was amazed at the cost difference," Hoska said. "It's fabulous to do something that brings help and joy to someone."

From the Wayland (MA) Town Crier:
To save on meds, a fax to Canada
To save money on her prescription medications, Barbara Druvins said she traveled to the library, senior center and local pharmacy before locating a fax machine she could use to order her drugs from Canada.

Druvins, 66, of Hopkinton, attended a Council of Aging meeting yesterday in Town Hall trying to decide whether it is easier to take a bus to a Worcester prescription drug center or search all over town for a fax machine that wasn't busy.

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