From the Oakland (MI) Press:
Lawmakers battle over reimportation of drugs
Spurred by a growing demand for lower drug costs, two proposals in Congress would allow drugs to be reimported from Canada.

Part of the Medicare prescription drug proposals, the House plan would allow drugs to be reimported from Canada and 25 other countries, mostly in Europe. The Senate plan would allow drugs to be reimported only from Canada.
Consumers can save up to 80 percent by purchasing drugs from Canada because the government has price controls.

From the Ottawa Citizen:
Drug ads potentially harmful: journal
"It has been claimed that each dollar spent on consumer advertising for the allergy drug Claritin has brought in $3.50 in increased sales."

If U.S.-style ads were permitted in Canada, drug companies might spend $360 million a year and expect sales increases of $1.2 billion, the editorial extrapolated. "Those additional costs would be added directly to the cost of medicare."

Direct-to-consumer advertising will be on the table again this fall as the federal government considers changes to the Food and Drugs Act, said epidemiologist Barbara Mintzes.