Sunday, February 27, 2005

Cost of prescriptions making many 'sick'

From the Pahrump Valley (NV) Times:
Barbara Grabski worries that her prescriptions are making her sick. It's not the drugs themselves, she says, but the extra work she must take on to pay for them.

"I'm stressed around the clock," said Grabski, a 60-year-old diabetic and breast cancer survivor. "They tell you to rest, but I've got to work to pay for all this. It's a vicious little circle."

So Grabski works four days a week at the Department of Motor Vehicles, one other day cleaning houses and is looking for a part-time job on weekends. She tests her blood sugar once a day, instead of the recommended three times, to save money on the test strips. Last year she said she spent $4,500 on prescription drugs - about one in every five dollars she takes home from the DMV. ...more

MDs' pitch-and-swing days over

From the Globe and Mail:
There was a time, not long ago, that many a golf-loving doctor relished the prospect of spring.

For as sure as the snow receded and tulips blossomed, invitations flowed in from pharmaceutical companies beckoning them to play the countries' finest courses. Physicians would be treated to golf tournaments and getaway weekends, while sales representatives touted their drugs between strokes. ...more

Vioxx makers 'perplexed' by Dosanjh's remarks

From the Globe and Mail:
The makers of the popular painkiller Vioxx say they are "perplexed" by harsh allegations from the federal Health Minister that they have withheld safety data from the Canadian government.

A day after Ujjal Dosanjh criticized Merck Frosst Canada in The Globe and Mail, saying it failed to turn over safety data related to Vioxx, the company said in a statement that "it has at all times and continues to co-operate with Health Canada." ...more

Flu plan laid out in chilling detail

From the Toronto Star:
It is a long and chilling document. It lists the names of every embalming fluid and casket supplier in Canada, discusses mass graves and temporary morgues and who should get the small, precious supply of drugs that would be available.

The 400-page report details how the federal government would prepare for and respond to an influenza pandemic. When one hits the world — most experts don't say "if" anymore — health officials estimate it will kill 58,000 Canadians and hospitalize 138,000 others. Five million more will require outpatient care and 10.6 million will be sick enough to miss work. ...more

Democrats: Lift ban on buying�medicines from Canada

From CNN.com:
Montana's Democratic governor thinks it "makes no sense" that the United States can import "cattle, hogs and logs" from Canada -- but not cheaper prescription drugs.

Speaking in the weekly Democratic radio address Saturday from Helena, Montana, Gov. Brian Schweitzer said "local pharmacists should be allowed to reimport safe, affordable prescription drugs from Canada, where American-made, U.S. taxpayer-subsidized medicine is sold for as little as half the U.S. retail price." ...more

House passes Canada drug bill

From The (Olympia, Wash.) Olympian:
In an effort to make it easier for people to buy cheaper prescription drugs in Canada, the state House passed a bill Friday directing the state Health Department to license Canadian pharmacies.

Canadian price controls and favorable exchange rate enable U.S. consumers to buy some medications there for half-price or less. ...more

Senior groups look beyond Canada for drugs

From the Green Bay News-Chronicle:
Senior citizens groups are exploring buying prescription drugs from Europe and Asia because of concerns that the Canadian government will shut off the flow of cheaper drugs to the United States.

Several groups, including the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups and the Minnesota Senior Federation, plan to meet in Philadelphia next month to discuss banding together to buy drugs from outside North America. ...more

House passes bill to license Canadian pharmacies

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
In an effort to make it easier for people to buy cheaper prescription drugs in Canada, the state House passed a bill Friday directing the state Health Department to license Canadian pharmacies.

Canadian price controls and favorable exchange rate enable U.S. consumers to buy some medications there for half-price or less.

Rep. Sherry Appleton, who sponsored the bill, said the monthly drug bill for her 88-year-old mother, a cancer survivor, dropped from $836 to $300 when she started buying medications over the Internet from a Canadian pharmacy. more...

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Weak law blamed in Vioxx case

From The Globe and Mail:
Canadian regulators say they lack the power to force drug companies to research specific safety concerns once a medication is on the market, despite the suspicion of heart-attack risk that swirled around Vioxx and other painkillers for years.

Mark Bethiaume, director of Health Canada's marketed pharmaceuticals division, said those who feel the department failed to protect the public from the dangers of Vioxx and other cox-2 drugs misunderstand Health Canada's abilities. ...more

GOP Considers Stopping Canadian Drug Program

From the Kansas City Channel:
Republicans are looking to overturn Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' decision last November to allow Kansans to buy prescription drugs through a Canadian clearinghouse.

The state House and Human Services Committee is holding hearings on a bill that would take Kansas out of the program. It also would prohibit foreign companies from dispensing drugs to Kansas residents. ...more

Kansas legislators debate whether to pass law on drug imports

From the Dodge City (Kansas) Globe:
While legislators debate whether to outlaw drug imports from Canada, business is booming at Canada Drug, 2110 S.W. Brandywine Lane.

Eric Enns, owner of Canada Drug, said sales have been growing every month since he opened in October 2003. He said he provides drugs at lower prices because they come from Canada, where the government sets prices of pharmaceutical drugs. One of his customers takes 17 pills a day that would normally cost $3,500 for a three-month supply ...more

Monday, February 21, 2005

Natives eye pill trade

From the National Post:
Indian bands in Manitoba and neighbouring Minnesota are talking about using their special ''sovereign'' status to trade prescription drugs across the border, possibly to be sold at pharmacies located in native-run casinos in the United States.

Casinos are seen by some as excellent locations to dispense pharmaceuticals because of their large clientele of the elderly and ill, also the prime market for cheaper Canadian prescription medicine. ...more

Ottawa drug bust?

From Macleans.ca:
It's sunny and -16°C, not too bad considering how cold it can get here in southern Manitoba. The only thing moving is the occasional passenger car or transport truck, billowing cotton balls of exhaust along Highway 3. The immediate area, 55 km southwest of Winnipeg, is predominantly flat frozen farmland with a few patches of trees. An icy gravel road leads visitors to the doorstep of HometownMeds.com, an Internet pharmacy near the town of Carman, hunkered down next to a windswept field on which a farmer grew lentils last year. more...

Sunday, February 20, 2005

Canada considers banning sale of cheap patented drugs to U.S.

From the Canadian Press:
The federal government is considering banning the export of cheap patented prescription drugs to the U.S. - a move that would be a major blow to Canada's billion-dollar Internet pharmacy industry.

Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh confirmed Friday that he has added the ban to a list of three other options being considered to ensure that only Canadians have access to the country's system of regulated, lower-priced drugs. Dosanjh has said repeatedly that he considers Internet pharmacies a threat to Canada's drug price-control system and the industry could lead to shortages in Canada. more...

New Cdn class action suit launched against maker of arthritis drug Vioxx

From the Canadian Press:
Two New Brunswick lawyers are preparing to join a series of class-action lawsuits against Merck & Co., the pharmaceutical giant that pulled its arthritis drug Vioxx from the market last September.

The proposed lawsuit is at least the fifth of its kind to be filed in Canada. William Gandy of Saint John and Peter Mockler of Fredericton say 400 people have come forward, claiming health problems related to the drug. more...

Import of drugs from Canada delayed as states watch R.I. case

From the Lowell (Mass.) Sun:
With a growing number of senior citizens choosing between paying the high cost of prescription drugs or heating their homes, Rhode Island Rep. Fausto Anguilla says he couldn't wait any longer for the federal government to step in.

Two years ago, Anguilla filed a bill to give the state the power to license Canadian pharmacies, so residents could buy prescription drugs at a fraction of American prices. more...

The painful battle over the 'wonder

From the Globe and Mail:
The night before Merck & Co. officials pulled Vioxx off the market last September, after their popular painkiller was found to double the risk of heart attack and stroke, they called a small, trusted group of scientists for advice.

Claire Bombardier was one of them. Director of rheumatology at the University of Toronto and holder of a prestigious Canada research chair in the field, Dr. Bombardier has been a consultant to Merck on Vioxx since 1997. more...

Crackdown on Net pharmacies

From the Montreal Gazette:
You can click on his company's Web site and order prescription drugs.

But Alvaro Pereyra, owner of Rx4US, told a Quebec Court judge this week his company doesn't sell drugs but merely acts as an intermediary for U.S. patients. more...

Saturday, February 19, 2005

Canadian drug outlet files appeal

From the Waterloo Cedar-Falls Courier:
Scot Huff and Canadian Outlet on Thursday filed an appeal in Cerro Gordo County District Court, hoping to reverse a judge's ruling that shut down the mail-order prescription drug business.

Earlier this month, Judge James Drew issued a permanent injunction, ruling Huff's operation violated state law. Canadian Outlet offered prescription drugs from north of the border to customers in Iowa. more...

Bacteria resistant to drugs causing concern

From the London Free Press:
The prevalence of bacterial strains resistant to several commonly prescribed drugs is on the rise in Canada, a disturbing trend that poses a risk to patients both inside and outside hospitals, a report card on antibiotic-resistance shows. "The inappropriate prescribing and use of antibiotics promotes increased antibiotic resistance," said Francois Boucher, head of the National Information Program on Antibiotics (NIPA), which released its annual report card yesterday in Toronto. more...

Ottawa considering ban on drug exports: Dosanjh

From CTV.ca:
The federal government is considering a total ban on all exports of patented drugs, Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh said Friday.

The move could be a crucial step as Ottawa considers ways to crack on Canada's billion-dollar Internet pharmacy market.

"We're just beginning to look at it," Dosanjh told reporters in the foyer of the House of Commons Friday, adding that the move would help to preserve Canada's lower prices for medicine. more...

Minnesota asks tribes to import drugs from Canada

From CBC News:
The Minnesota government has started contacting First Nations in the state to see if they'd be willing to provide citizens with prescription drugs from Canada.

At the moment, Minnesotans can use a state-sponsored website to purchase prescription drugs from four Canadian online pharmacies, because they are substantially less expensive that way than if they are bought from U.S. suppliers. more...

Council Considers Offering Data on Canadian Drugs

From the Los Angeles Times:
The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to study setting up a website to help residents buy less expensive drugs imported from Canada, although such purchases are illegal.

The website, if approved by the council, could be operating by this summer. It probably would be modeled on a San Francisco Department of Public Health website that steers visitors to the sites of three Canadian firms that sell prescription drugs to Americans. more...

Nevada lawmakers rebel against federal prescription drug law

From the Duluth (Minn.) News Tribune:
Barbara Grabski worries that her prescriptions are making her sick. It's not the drugs themselves, she says, but the extra work she must take on to pay for them.

"I'm stressed around the clock," said Grabski, a 60-year-old diabetic and breast cancer survivor. "They tell you to rest, but I've got to work to pay for all this. It's a vicious little circle."

So Grabski works four days a week at the Department of Motor Vehicles, one other day cleaning houses and is looking for a part-time job on weekends. She tests her blood sugar once a day, instead of the recommended three times, to save money on the test strips. Last year she said she spent $4,500 on prescription drugs - about one in every five dollars she takes home from the DMV. more...

Demos say bulk buying & Canadians can help lower drug costs

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
House Democrats, hoping to give Washington consumers cheaper prescription drugs, on Friday voted to allow businesses, unions, local governments and average citizens to join the state's bulk-purchasing program.

They also passed a bill aimed at easing access to lower-cost drugs from Canada.

Republicans railed against both proposals. The Democratic plans send out false hope that galloping drug costs will be curtailed, and could actually prompt Ottawa to shut down the informal pipeline that Washington residents already use to get cheaper Canadian drugs, they said. more...

Canada's cheaper drugs come under increasing pressure

From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:
With the supply of low-priced drugs from Canada under pressure on several fronts, some buyers from South Florida are being forced to wait longer, pay more and accept drugs from overseas.

Seven major drug makers have threatened to stop supplying Canadian companies that sell to the United States. President Bush has spoken against importing drugs, and after his visit last fall, Canada's health minister said he may shut down the flow of medicines across the border. Drug firms there fear his decision could come within two weeks. more...

Friday, February 18, 2005

Long-acting insulin now available

From the Fort Frances (ON) Times:
Canadian diabetics now can get a long-awaited form of insulin that keeps baseline glucose levels more even with a once-a-day dose, eliminating the need for an overnight injection to prevent a dangerous drop in blood sugar, doctors say.

Lantus is the first long-acting, or basal, insulin to provide day-long glucose-lowering effects without the peaks and valleys of earlier long-acting insulins. more...

Lawmakers, reformers seek to reimport Canadian drugs

From the (Maryland) Business Gazette:
Lawmakers and health care reform advocates rallied in Annapolis on Tuesday in support of proposals to combat rising prescription drug costs by reimporting drugs from Canada.

Business groups countered, saying reimported drugs may not be safe and the loss of revenue would put a damper on Maryland's biotech and pharmaceutical industries. more...

Pharmacists fight crackdown on internet sales

From CBC News:
Internet pharmacists want the federal government to make it easier for them to sell prescription drugs across the U.S. border.

But federal Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh has said he plans to crack down on the cross-border trade to protect Canada's drug supply. more...

Canada drug bill 'serious'

From the Republican (Mass.):
Tony Howard, the president of CanaRx, which supplies prescription drugs to 3,500 beneficiaries of Springfield's municipal health plan, yesterday called a Canadian proposal to cut off its drug supply to the United States "a very serious" threat.

"We are supposed to hear something about the bill in Canada that would restrict exportation of medication to the United States by the end of the month," Howard said. more...

Bill would allow imports of cheaper prescriptions

From the Houston Chronicle:
Marilynn Claypool takes 20 prescription drugs a day for her diabetes, acid reflux and a heart condition, costing her between $500 and $700 each month. She doesn't have insurance and has little income, most of which goes to cover her drug costs.

"If you have to afford those, then you do without your food, you do without whatever you need to, just to be able to live," said Claypool, 64.

But help could soon be on the way for Claypool and many other Texans. Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, and Rep. Scott Hochberg, D-Houston, announced Wednesday they have filed bills that would allow Texans to order cheaper prescription drugs from Canada. more...

Canada wants to stem flow of cheap prescription drugs

From the Seattle Times:
Washington state moved to join the millions buying cheaper prescription drugs in Canada, but it may be too late.

The state House yesterday approved a measure encouraging state employees to buy cheaper Canadian prescription drugs. Two other bills aimed at increasing access to the Canadian drug market are pending in the House, and one in the Senate. more...

Internet drug companies defend sales to U.S.

From the Globe and Mail:
Internet drug companies that sell into the United States pose no threat to Canada's drug supplies, industry representatives told a Commons committee yesterday.

The Internet pharmacies want Parliament to look at rule changes to make it easier to sell prescription drugs across the border. more...

Canada wants to stem flow of cheap prescription drugs

From the Seattle Times:
Washington state moved to join the millions buying cheaper prescription drugs in Canada, but it may be too late.

The state House yesterday approved a measure encouraging state employees to buy cheaper Canadian prescription drugs. Two other bills aimed at increasing access to the Canadian drug market are pending in the House, and one in the Senate. more...

Pawlenty floats drug deal with Indians

From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Imagine this: You go to a casino in Minnesota to play the slots and pick up your prescription drugs at the same time.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Wednesday that he has had preliminary discussions with leaders of northern Minnesota Indian bands to see if they'd be interested in using their sovereign status to act as wholesalers and distributors of prescription drugs. more...

Senate democrats want to import foreign drugs

From The Sidelines (Tenn.):
Senate Democrats aim to join other states in pressuring the federal government to allow citizens to import prescribed medications from Canada or Europe. Sen. Doug Jackson of Dickson is the sponsor of SB1989, which would authorize the state to enter into a program already being used by the state of Illinois or a similar program to survey and approve foreign pharmacies and publicize the cheaper drugs' availability. more...

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Ban Suggested on Bulk Sale of Canadian Drugs to U.S.

From Reuters:
Canada's Internet pharmacies suggested on Wednesday that a limit should be set on bulk sales to the United States as a way of safeguarding the Canadian drug supply while still preserving their billion-dollar business with Americans.

The lure of cheaper, price-controlled Canadian prescription drugs has thousands of buyers from south of the border, many of them seniors with limited medical coverage. That has, in turn, made the Canadian government mull protective steps that could effectively shut down the mail-order pharmacists. more...

Internet pharmacies no threat to Canadian drug supply: industry

From the Canadian Press:
Internet drug companies that sell into the United States pose no threat to Canada's drug supplies, industry representatives told a Commons committee Wednesday.

The Internet pharmacies want Parliament to look at rule changes to make it easier to sell prescription drugs across the border. David MacKay of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association said Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh's fears that Canada could become America's drug store are unfounded. more...

Internet drug stores want new rules

From The Globe and Mail:
Internet pharmacists are calling on the government to change federal rules to make it easier to sell prescription drugs across the border.

The International Pharmacy Association of British Columbia was to tell a Commons committee on Wednesday that it wants to fill U.S. prescriptions directly, rather than through Canadian doctors. more...

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Health Canada to change way new drugs are approved, minister says

From the Globe and Mail:
Canada's Health Minister is promising dramatic changes in the way prescription drugs are approved and monitored after the debacle involving popular painkillers used by arthritis sufferers.

Ujjal Dosanjh said the new process will include public input -- even public hearings -- before new prescription drugs are approved. more...

Internet pharmacy groups mount Commons offensive to save industry

From the Canadian Press:
With high noon fast approaching in the showdown between the federal health minister and Internet pharmacies, the industry's biggest trade groups are set to mount their latest offensive Wednesday in front of a parliamentary committee.

The Canadian International Pharmacy Association will argue the U.S. market for prescription drugs from Canada is relatively small and manageable, eliminating the need for Ottawa to step in with changes to federal law that could effectively crush the $1-billion industry. more...

Ottawa may strengthen arthritis drug warnings

From CBC News:
Potentially risky arthritis medications like Celebrex may soon carry stronger warnings, Canada's health minister said as he announced new drug-safety measures on Tuesday.

Under the new process, patients and doctors would gain more safety information as Canada's drug regulator becomes more transparent and proactive, Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh said. more...

State-run imported drug program RIMeds begins to big interest

From WPRI-TV (Rhode Island):
A state-operated service to help residents buy imported prescription drugs appears to be quite a hit with Rhode Islanders.

The program, called RI Meds, began yesterday. It gives residents access to cheaper prescription drugs through a network of approved pharmacies in Canada and the United Kingdom. more...

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Penobscot Nation opens mail-order pharmacy

From the Knox Village (Maine) Soup:
The Penobscot Indian Nation will open Maine's first mail-order drug company this spring as part of a state plan to reduce the cost of prescription medications. It's a plan that has some drugstore owners worried because it could cut them out of the picture.

Plans are also in the works to create a public purchasers pool that would include state employees and public school teachers. The state would negotiate for the cheapest drug prices from pharmaceutical houses. Public employees would not be ordered to get their drugs in the mail; the incentive to do so exists in their current health-care plans. more...

Monday, February 14, 2005

ADHD drug pulled

From CBC Prince Edward Island:
Pediatricians across the province are coming up with alternate drug therapies after a new medication to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder was pulled from the market.

Last week, Health Canada ordered Adderall X-R removed from pharmacy shelves. It has been linked to 20 sudden deaths internationally. more...

Sunday, February 13, 2005

Irish firms eye €570m online drugs market

From the Sunday Times (UK):
Canadian internet pharmacies are lining up Irish suppliers to play a key role in servicing America’s €566m online prescription drugs market. The initiative is part of a strategy to counter a threatened crackdown on the fledgling industry.

“We are keen not to trumpet our plans; we are trying to be subtle and do things quietly,” said David MacKay, the executive director of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA). “Almost all of our members — and we represent 80% of the trade — would have already established some sort of relationship or formal partnership for foreign fulfilment and Ireland would play a role.” more...

Democrats want drug imports permitted

From the (Nashville) Tennessean:
Senate Democrats are backing legislation to let people import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada and say they also have plans to cap the amount that hospitals can charge uninsured patients.

Under the plan, Tennessee would join a handful of states that let their residents buy prescription drugs from Canada, the United Kingdom and other places. Many drugs are made in the United States and then marketed in other countries at prices lower than those here. more...

Therapists Question Canada's Action on Hyperactivity Drug

From the New York Times:
Psychiatrists said yesterday that they were as confused as they were concerned by the news that Canadian regulators had suspended the use of a commonly prescribed hyperactivity drug amid reports of deaths linked to its use.

"The news just threw a curveball into our efforts to advise doctors on how to treat attention deficit disorders in kids," said Dr. Oscar Bukstein, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. more...

Health Canada waits for a U.S. verdict

From the Toronto Star:
Next week, the United States Food and Drug Administration will hold a highly unusual three-day hearing into the benefits and risks of the class of drugs called COX-2 inhibitors.

The hearing follows a bizarre few months in which Vioxx, one of the drugs used widely by arthritis sufferers for pain, was pulled from the market worldwide and two other widely prescribed drugs, Celebrex and Bextra, have come under growing suspicion. more...

Canadian drugs: the supply route gets tighter

From the Port Vila (Vanuatu) Presse:
When W.E. Greenfield looked outside his door this week to see if his latest shipment of drugs from Canada had shown up, he found instead a small cardboard box with a customs declaration from the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu.

Inside was his three-month prescription for the anti-depressant Efexor-XR, made by Wyeth Corp. more...

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Leaders of the Red Lake Band, Canadian tribes discuss direct trade

From the Canadian Press:
Leaders from Minnesota's Red Lake Band of Chippewa and eight Canadian aboriginal bands are discussing ways to open commerce across the border.

That includes prescription drug sales, native leaders said. One idea is establishing a pharmacy in Thief River Falls at the Seven Clans Casino, where lower-priced prescription medications imported from Canada would be sold. more...

Health Canada orders ADHD drug off market after reports of deaths, strokes

From the Canadian Press:
Health Canada has ordered a once-a-day treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder off the market after learning the drug has been linked to 20 sudden deaths and 12 strokes, including among children.

And makers of related stimulants used to treat the commonly diagnosed condition have been asked to provide a thorough review of their worldwide safety data, Health Canada said in a release late Wednesday. None of the deaths or strokes associated with Adderall XR were reported Canada, said department spokesman Ryan Baker. more...

Grassley to endorse legislation allowing drug imports from Canada

From the Des Moines (Iowa) Register:
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley of Iowa is set to endorse a bipartisan bill that would allow prescription drugs to be imported from Canada and other countries, aides to the Iowa Republican said today.

Seniors and other users of prescription drugs long have complained about high prices in the United States for the same prescription drugs sold in other countries far more cheaply. more...

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Conduct business ethically, Internet drug sellers told

From the Globe and Mail:
Federal Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh says he doesn't want to end Manitoba's on-line drug industry despite planning a crackdown on Internet sales to the U.S.

Dosanjh says it was never his intent to shut down the industry, adding he just wants to make sure it's conducted on a good ethical basis and that we protect the pricing regime in Canada. more...

Drug Companies Crack Down on Canadian Internet Pharmacies

From ABC News:
Trying to circumvent soaring prescription drug prices in the United States, an estimated 2 million Americans buy their medications from Internet pharmacies in Canada, which employs government price controls. Some major pharmaceutical companies are now aggressively trying to stop the cross-border sales.

The biggest pharmacy in all of Canada — where many of the Internet pharmacies are based — does not sell one pill to a Canadian. more...

Ottawa pushes end to Net drug sales

From the Toronto Star:
The federal government's plan to shut down Internet pharmacies to U.S. customers appears to have acquired new urgency over the past several weeks, with legislation expected as soon as the end of this month.

Though the Commons health committee voted to thoroughly study Internet pharmacies before Ottawa acts against them, federal Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh is reserving the right to act sooner if necessary. more...

U.S. grabs 81-year-old's Lipitor sent via Canada

From the (Madison, Wisc.) Capital Times:
Charles Netzow is upset that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has confiscated a drug that was being mailed to him from a pharmacy in Canada to help keep his cholesterol under control.

"I'm angry because it's nonsense," the 81-year-old suburban Fox Point man told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after receiving a notice from the FDA indicating that his 90 tablets of Lipitor were confiscated by its Chicago office because the drug was an "unapproved new drug." more...

Outlet required to stop processing prescription orders

From the Mason City (Iowa) Globe Gazette:
A Cerro Gordo County District Judge on Monday ruled that a Mason City business must stop ordering prescription drugs from Canada for North Iowa customers.

Judge James Drew agreed with the Iowa Board of Pharmacy Examiners, concluding that Scot and Cheryl Huff and the Canadian Outlet are in violation of state law. more...

Sunday, February 06, 2005

Alcock offers high-level support to web pharmacies

From CBC Manitoba:
Treasury Board President Reg Alcock met with federal Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh in Ottawa Thursday to discuss ways Ottawa could address medical concerns about internet pharmacies without killing the industry.

Dosanjh has said the government could make it illegal for pharmacies to fill prescriptions for patients who have not been seen in person by a Canadian doctor, prevent the filling of prescriptions for foreigners who are not in Canada, or ban certain drugs from being exported. more...

Internet pharmacies forced to open shop overseas

From the Globe and Mail:
Canada's biggest Internet pharmacies are shifting their business overseas as they brace for new federal regulations that could effectively shut down the $1-billion-a-year industry.

“We're filling 50 per cent of our prescriptions [from international pharmacies] but we're 100 per cent ready to do it all when the Minister of Health makes good on his threat,” said Daren Jorgenson, founder of Winnipeg-based Canadameds.com, who is leading the industry exodus. more...

Association of Ezetrol (ezetimibe) with myalgia, rhabdomyolysis, hepatitis, pancreatitis, and thrombocytopenia

From Health Canada:
Merck Frosst/Schering Pharmaceuticals, in consultation with Health Canada, would like to inform patients of updated safety information for Ezetrol® (ezetimibe), a medication used to help lower blood cholesterol. Ezetrol® (ezetimibe) is sometimes used together with statins or other cholesterol-lowering medications.
Public Advisory
For Health Care Professionals

Canada to create stockpile of antiviral drugs for possible flu pandemic

From Macleans.ca :
Canada's decision to stockpile 9.6 million doses of antiviral drugs to fight a potential global flu pandemic reinforces its position as a world leader in dealing with an outbreak whenever it strikes, the chief public health officer said Friday.

Dr. David Butler-Jones said Canada developed a pandemic plan before other countries as the $24 million purchase of a national stockpile of the drugs was announced by the federal government. "Other countries have copied it or modified it," he said. "If you look at the U.S. plan it's very very similar to the Canadian plan and they basically used ours, said it was good and adapted it." more...

Friday, February 04, 2005

Important safety information on HUMIRA (adalimumab)

From Health Canada:
Abbott Laboratories, Limited, in cooperation with Health Canada, has informed healthcare professionals of important new safety information concerning HUMIRA (adalimumab). more...

Canadian Official Says Cheap Drug Supply Could End Soon

From ChannelOklahoma.com:
Oklahomans were turning to Canada in record numbers Thursday for their prescription drug refills -- but some officials said the Canadian supply might not last much longer.

As Eyewitness News 5's Tierney Cook reported, more Oklahomans are turning to Canadian drug suppliers -- many of which flourish online -- instead of their local pharmacies to buy medications. Even Gov. Brad Henry has jumped into the fray, saying that he will fight the federal government to ensure that Oklahomans have access to cheaper medicines from Canadian pharmacies. more...

Important safety information for patients taking Apo-Mefloquine (mefloquine) for the prevention of malaria.

From Health Canada:
Following discussions with Health Canada, Apotex Inc. would like to inform patients of updated safety information in the Patient Information Leaflet for Apo-Mefloquine (mefloquine), a medication used to prevent infection with malaria. more...

File electronic health-care records under 'overdue'

From the Globe and Mail:
'Electronic health records are one of the keys to modernizing Canada's health system and improving access and outcomes for Canadians."

So said Roy Romanow, chairman of the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada, way back in 2002. more...

Aberdeen Pharmacy Sues Canada Drug

From KELOLAND TV (SD):
A wholesale pharmacy in an Aberdeen is trying to shutdown the pipeline of prescription drugs from Canada into KELOLAND.

Jewett Drug Company is suing Canada Drug, a Sioux Falls business that offers customers access to cheaper medicines from Canada. In court papers, Jewett says Canada Drug is operating as a pharmacy without a license. more...

Thursday, February 03, 2005

2 Canadian pharmacies seek licenses

From the Providence (RI) Business Journal:
Two Canadian pharmacies have applied for licenses to sell prescription drugs in Rhode Island, and about a dozen have expressed interest but not yet followed up, according to Robert J. Marshall, associate director of the Department of Health.

Separately, Secretary of State Matt Brown on Jan. 27 launched RIMeds, a new drug importation service run by CanaRX, the same network of Canadian and British pharmacies behind the Illinois governor’s I-SaveRx, now used by Wisconsin, Kansas and Missouri, too. more...

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

B.C. doctor is suspended for two years for countersigning U.S. prescriptions

From the Canadian Press:
A doctor will lose his livelihood for two years because he countersigned prescriptions so U.S. patients could get cheaper medicine.

Dr. Daljit Singh Herar of suburban Surrey admitted to being guilty of infamous conduct for not seeing the patients face to face before signing prescriptions, failing to keep proper records and then lying about it. "I would call that a very major offence," said Dr. Doug Blackman, the deputy registrar of the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons. more...