Wednesday, April 14, 2004

From Reuters:
Wisconsin's Governor Urges Making Drug Imports Safe
Lower drug prices in Canada and other countries will keep luring Americans, and the government needs to make sure the medicines people buy are safe, witnesses told a U.S. task force on Wednesday.

"People are going to Canada, whether we like it or not," Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle said.

"They are going in bigger and bigger numbers because the simple dollars demand it, and it is the only option that some of them have," said Doyle, who has defied the federal government by running a Web site directing state residents to three Canadian pharmacies.

From the Barrington (RI) Times:
Anguilla bill allows access to drugs from Canada
A local legislator has sponsored a bill that would allow Rhode Islanders to buy lower-priced drugs from pharmacies in Canada. State Representative and Warren Town Solicitor Fausto C. Anguilla of Bristol and Warren introduced the legislation which was reported out of the House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare last week and is now on the House of Representatives calendar to be heard on April 21.

"My constituents are very concerned about the cost of drugs," said Rep. Anguilla. "Like other Americans, they are paying two, three and even four times as much here for prescriptions as are residents of Canada ... We must all do what we can to help those who rely on prescription drugs for their well-being."

From the Canadian Press:
Canadian groups urge FDA not to help Americans buy cheap drugs
Several opponents of the Internet pharmacy industry urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday not to make it easier for Americans to buy cheap drugs from Canada, arguing patients on both side of the border will suffer.

"I'm here to make sure they understand what is the actual environment in Canada now," Louise Binder, chairwoman of the Canadian Treatment Action Council, said in an interview prior to her presentation before an FDA public hearing.

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