Tuesday, January 06, 2004

From the Toronto Star:
MDs' insurer may not cover Web drug sales
The body that provides malpractice insurance to doctors in Canada is on the verge of announcing it will not cover lawsuits generated by Internet drug sales, even if those suits are launched in Canadian courts.

The Canadian Medical Protective Association has already informed its members it will not defend or pay out claims made if lawsuits relating to Internet drug sales are filed in American courts. That provision went into effect as of Jan. 1 and is part of a broader policy involving lawsuits filed against Canadian doctors outside this country.

From the Southgate (Mich.) News Herald:
Rx Canada Direct opens Downriver
The national concern over the price of prescription drugs helped spawn a new business here.

Rx Canada Direct, 13526 North Line Road, celebrated its grand opening Monday, offering customers potential savings on their prescriptions.

It is operating despite raised eyebrows from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

With one store already open, however, owner Hysam Hammad said his customers, many of whom lack adequate insurance and access to the Internet, don’t seem to mind.

“We’re giving our customers access to better prices on their medication,” he said. “We’re not giving medical advice.”

From Capital News (NY):
Discount drug debate continues
Kurt Bricault opened his Discount Drugs of Canada for business on Monday, despite not having received a special permit from the North Adams Planning Board. He has since closed the doors, after Mayor John Barrett said Bricault's landlord could face a $100 per day fine.

From the Baton Rouge (LA) Business Report:
The Canadian connection
Multi-state bid fails to lower prescription costs; Louisiana contemplates Canadian drugs

From the Canadian Press:
Hormone prescriptions in U.S. drop after study links them to heart disease
Prescriptions for hormone supplements have plunged by one-third in the United States since a study was abruptly halted because of evidence that the pills raise the risk of breast cancer, heart disease and other illnesses in postmenopausal women, an analysis found.

In the year after the July 2002 announcement about the risks from estrogen-progestin pills, U.S. prescriptions for most types of hormone therapy dropped 38 per cent, reversing a seven-year trend, according to the report in Wednesday's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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