Wednesday, March 31, 2004

From the Sarasota (FL) Herald Tribune:
N.H. Governor details Canadian drug purchases, FDA reacts
Gov. Craig Benson used his credit card to order a half-dozen brand-name medicines online from a Canadian mail-order pharmacy and had them mailed to his home.

"I was just any public citizen as far as they knew," Benson said at a news conference Wednesday.

From WPTV-TV (FL):
Palm Beach County may import prescriptions from Canada for workers
Palm Beach County commissioners decided Tuesday to pursue the possibility of illegally buying prescription drugs from Canada for government employees and retirees, which would put the county at the forefront of the raging national debate over high drug prices.

Commissioners Burt Aaronson and Tony Masilotti dismissed a warning from Assistant County Attorney Tammy Fields that the county would be violating federal law. They said anti-importation rules simply are a result of drug-industry political victories and predicted the county would never be prosecuted for a violation.

From WMAR-TV (MD):
Senate poised to approve bill calling for state mail-order pharmacy
The Senate is poised to approve legislation that would lay the foundation for the state to import Canadian prescription drugs for uninsured Marylanders and state employees. The proposal, however, is pinned on getting the permission of federal health officials, who so far have opposed the practice.

Plowing through a roster of bills with 13 days remaining in the 2004 General Assembly session, senators of both parties gave the bill preliminary approval with a 37-10 vote. If passed, it would then head to the House for consideration.

"It's a fine line between paying your fair share and being a chump," said Sen. E.J. Pipkin, an Eastern Shore Republican.

From Newhouse News:
Congress May Vote This Summer on Prescription Drug Imports
Congress' search for a cure for the surging costs of prescription drugs has always stopped at the border.

Some seniors have skirted U.S. law by mail-ordering cheaper prescription medicines from Canada and Mexico. City mayors and the state of Minnesota have sought budget savings by buying foreign drugs for public employees.

No comments: