Drug import plan eyed

From the (Springfield, Mass.) Republican:
A city councilor said last night he will push the state to change its policy and let the city buy prescription drugs from Canada to save money, free up a revenue source and allow for the rescinding of the trash fee.

But other officials said multiple hurdles await such a move including that it is still illegal to import prescription drugs and opposition to the move by the head of a key state agency.

City Councilor James J. Ferrera III has pitched ending the fee of $90 a year per trash barrel, which has been unpopular with many people since its inception on July 1.

Ferrera answered challenges about how he would replace the trash fee's $3.5 million to $5 million in yearly revenue by saying the city could look into saving money by revisiting the Canadian prescription drug option.

In a maverick move that gained Springfield national attention in 2003, city employees and retirees were given the option of buying cheaper prescription drugs from Canada. ...more

FDA warns Duluth about presciption importation from Canada

From the Rochester (Minn.) Post Bulletin:
The Food and Drug Administration has warned the city of Duluth that a program to import prescription drugs from Canada and save money for city workers is unsafe and most likely violates federal law.

In a letter to Duluth Mayor Don Ness, the FDA warned that any packages sent to employees would likely be detained by U.S. Custom and Border Protection.

Ness, who inherited the program from former mayor Herb Bergson, said he would keep because it would continue to save the city taxpayer money on health costs -- up to $2 million a year, he said.

"If the FDA cannot give a definitive answer that this is illegal, that demonstrates the question is still out there," Ness told the Duluth News Tribune . "I'm hopeful that the federal government will address their own policy that seems to be designed to protect the profit margins of drug companies at the expense of the American citizen."

Importing prescription drugs from Canada has been hotly debated in Minnesota and the country the last few years. Gov. Tim Pawlenty was one of the first governors in the nation to implement a drug import program, and his administration has joined numerous government entities in ignoring similar letters from the FDA. ...more

Cost is the real drug threat

From the Los Angeles Times:
In his weekend radio address, President Bush warned of rogue pharmacists making potentially dangerous prescription drugs readily available online.

"The Internet has brought about tremendous benefits for those who cannot easily get to a pharmacy in person," Bush said. "However, it has also created an opportunity for unscrupulous doctors and pharmacists to profit from addiction."

That's undoubtedly true, as are most observations that the Internet has become a hotbed of fraud and flimflammery. And I think we can all agree that patients should see doctors face to face, rather than via an online chat or survey, before receiving prescriptions for painkillers and other such meds.

But Dr. Bush is addressing a symptom and not the cause of one of the country's top medical problems. ...more

CanaRx president says Canadian drugs shortage unlikely

From the Windsor (Ont.) Star:
Fears of a prescription drug shortage in Canada are rising now that it's all but certain the next U.S. president will allow Americans to import cheaper Canadian drugs.

But a Windsorite whose company sells prescription drugs to Americans, and inspired a Simpsons episode for it, says the fears are all hype.

"Making it easier to import international medications would not have a significant impact to Canada at all, or its supply," said Tony Howard, president of CanaRx. "What the three candidates are doing will not jeopardize Canada's supply at all."

It's illegal in the U.S. for Americans to import prescription drugs from other countries, and President George Bush has opposed changing that.

But all three major U.S. presidential candidates -- Democratic rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and Republican John McCain -- have said they'd allow it. ...more

U.S. election raises issue of drug supply in Canada

From the National Post:
All three major candidates for U.S. president are promising to make it legal for Americans to import cheaper Canadian drugs, raising concerns about a southern outflow of medicine that could threaten the pharmaceutical supply here.

With the next president already on side, observers say long-delayed U.S. legislation to open up the cross-border prescription drug trade is now much closer to reality.

Internet pharmacies on this side of the border say legalization -- if it happens -- would certainly give their businesses a boost after a downturn in the past few years, but deny Canadians would see any impact.

But others argue that legalized importation in the United States could result in shortages here of drugs and pharmacists, who might abandon Canadian customers to cater to the U.S. market, and delay introduction of new products in this country. ...more

Mexico pharmacies targeted

You can tell it's an election year in the United States. Over the last year, very little was heard about states working with foreign pharmacies. Now we are starting to hear about Canadian pharmacies again. The article below is the first mention I've seen of a state wanting to work with Mexican pharmacies.

From the (Phoenix) Arizona Republic:
Several states have direct links to Canadian pharmacies to ensure their citizens have access to less expensive prescription drugs.

Yet no state has such formal ties through Web sites or state-sponsored programs to pharmacies in Mexico.

But residents of Arizona and other Southwestern states routinely visit border towns such as Los Algodones near Yuma to buy prescription drugs at large pharmacies catering to tourists.

Now, Gov. Janet Napolitano and her counterparts on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border have floated an idea that would scrutinize the safety of prescription drugs sold in Mexican border towns. They want to create a cross-border testing and inspection program to ensure drug safety.

Napolitano has initiated talks with Bush administration officials on what it would take to launch such a pilot program with cooperation on both sides of the border. ...more

City offers voluntary plan for imported prescription drugs

I didn't realize that cities and states were trying to set up deals with Canadian pharmacies anymore. Duluth seems to be a bit behind the curve on this issue.

From the Duluth (Minn.) News Tribune:
Beginning Monday, city of Duluth employees, dependents and retirees will have a new option for buying brand-name prescription drugs — with the potential of large cost savings for themselves and taxpayers.

Under the voluntary plan, the Canadian firm CanaRx will deliver imported drugs packaged by the original manufacturer directly to people who ordered them. The plan was announced Thursday morning at a City Hall news conference. ...more

Dozens of drug Web sites falsely claiming certification by professional groups

From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:
The Better Business Bureau and other professional groups are complaining to federal regulators that some Internet pharmacies are falsely claiming they are certified by their organizations, leaving dissatisfied consumers with nowhere to turn.

Most customers said they never received medications they ordered or got drugs that appeared questionable.

The certifying groups learned of the misrepresentations — by dozens of Web sites — when online drug shoppers called to complain about sites they assumed had been approved or were members of the organization. "The numbers just started to add up. These sites are ripping people off," said Gabriel Levitt, vice president of PharmacyChecker.com, whose company certifies 228 Internet pharmacies and offers a Web-based price-comparison tool. Levitt said he had received about 100 complaints within the past 18 months about Web sites using fake PharmacyChecker seals and logos, apparently used to suggest a site's legitimacy. ...more

Canadian drug sales slow

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:
Ann Griffith doesn't fit the stereotype of a criminal.

At 81, the Plymouth Meeting resident has been buying the thyroid medication Synthroid for three years from a Canadian Internet pharmacy. She shaved 40 percent off the U.S. price.

But from July to September, the Food and Drug Administration detained three of her packages at the Seattle-Tacoma airport. Agency letters stopped short of accusing her of breaking the law but required her to write or travel personally to Washington state to prove that the packages were legal.

"These laws are designed to protect you," one letter said.

Griffith, who said she never had any health problems with Canadian drugs, scoffed at the agency's actions. "The big drug companies don't want to lose anything," she said. "That's the whole thing."

Canadian drug sales to U.S. patients like Griffith were once a hot trend. But a variety of factors have stifled this continental trade, making it more like curling than hockey. Drug firms such as Pfizer Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline P.L.C. have threatened to cut off supplies to Canadian pharmacies catering to the U.S. market. ...more

Canadian pharmacies see decline in U.S. business

From CBC News:
The soaring Canadian dollar and changes to the U.S. Medicare system have a senior's group south of the border calling off prescription drug-buying excursions to Manitoba.

The Minneapolis Senior Federation has organized between 30 and 40 bus trips to Winnipeg over the last decade so members can get their prescriptions filled at less expensive Canadian prices.

But with the Canadian dollar above the 94-cent US mark — its highest value in almost 30 years — American customers find their dollar doesn't go as far as it used to in Canadian pharmacies. ...more

Senior group halting trips to purchase drugs from Canada

From the West Central Tribune (Minn.):
The Minnesota senior citizens' group that for a dozen years organized regular trips north to Canada to buy cheaper prescription drugs may have made its last run.

On Friday, the Minnesota Senior Federation's bus ferried 26 customers to a pharmacy in Winnipeg, where government controls keep prices lower than in the United States.

But a new Medicare drug benefit for older and disabled Americans, plus a stronger Canadian dollar, have slashed in half what had been $1 billion in annual cross-border sales. Half of Canada's 140 or so mail-order pharmacies have gone out of business.

Still, Senior Federation executive director Lee Graczyk said people "are still getting gouged on drug prices." ...more

Obama touts Rx drug plan

I can't see importing pharmaceuticals from Canada being much of an issue in American 2008 election, but Barack Obama mentioned he's in favour of allowing the purchase of Canadian prescriptions.

From the Sauk Valley (Ill.) Newspaper:
Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama speculated Saturday that his prescription drug plan could save seniors on Medicare $157 billion over the next decade.

The potential saving is proof that the nation needs to change the Medicare system, he said.

"There is no reason for this other than the fact it makes the drug companies more money," said Obama. 'It's wrong that Americans have to spend more for their prescriptions because drug companies can spend billions on lobbying."

The prescription drug plan pushed by Obama would allow Medicare officials to bargain for lower prescription drug prices, allow Americans to buy prescriptions from Canada and other developed countries where safe drugs are available and increase the use of generic drugs in public health programs like Medicare. ...more

Canadian drug imports shrink in half from 2004

From the Detroit News:
The once-booming business of selling Canadian prescription drugs to Americans has shrunk in half since 2004-05 as the surging Canadian dollar and better U.S. government health insurance erode the price gap.

Annual sales have slipped below $500 million Canadian, down from nearly $1 billion Canadian in 2004, according to figures supplied by the Canadian International Pharmacy Association, which represents Internet and mail-order drugstores.

The figures include sales of drugs to Americans from third countries, mainly in Europe, but brokered by Canadian pharmacies. ...more

Reliability of drugs from Canada questioned

From the Trenton (NJ) Times:

Fred Billingham was waiting to shoot pool at the Hamilton Senior Center. Former U.S. Rep. Jim Greenwood was hundreds of miles away in Washington, D.C., but they were of like minds on one topic: Purchasing cheap medication from Canada scares them.

"I wouldn't trust them," said the 78-year-old retiree, "because you don't know what you're getting."

And Greenwood, a former Bucks County, Pa., legislator who now is president of the trade association the Biotechnology Industry Organization, said, "There is a very legitimate safety issue that has to be taken into consideration."

That safety concern is why state investigators make no apologies for the tactic they used last week to shut down a local company that helped American patients buy lower-cost medications from Canada. ...more

Senator Fights For Canadian Drug Access

From Newschannel5.com (Tenn.):
Lawmakers battled over prescription drugs on Capitol Hill Tuesday. One state lawmaker was fighting to give seniors a major price break, but drug companies countered with strong opposition.

State lawmakers examined a new way for Tennesseans to legally buy drugs from other countries, mainly Canada. The savings are amazing.

Senator Doug Jackson wants Tennesseans to be able to legally buy discount drugs from other countries, via the I-SAVE RX program. ...more

Company offering cheap prescription drugs faces probe

From the Vancouver Sun:
The College of Pharmacists of B.C. says it has launched an investigation into a Richmond company offering cheap prescription drugs online without being registered with the college.

The investigation will probe regulatory matters. There is no evidence that the Richmond company is in any way linked to the death of a Quadra Island woman who died after ingesting drugs she ordered online.

Under the college's guidelines, a B.C. pharmacy that sells drugs online must publish its name and address on its website -- along with the college's phone number, which people can call to verify the site is legitimate. ...more

Online drug loss hard pill to swallow

The numbers are now verifying what we already knew. Canadian online pharmacies had a tough year in 2006. I think anyone who has survived this long has likely found their niche and will continue in business. However, there is no real sign of growth in the industry. With the manufacturer restrictions solidly in place and Medicare Part D entering its second year, the only factor that could change is the exchange rate. A sinking Canadian dollar may be the only way these pharmacies will see leaps in sales.

From the Financial Post:
Dozens of Canadian Internet pharmacies have closed shop or laid off staff after sales at the country’s online drugstores plunged by nearly 50% last year.

A report released Wednesday by IMS Health, a company that tracks pharmaceutical sales, suggests Internet pharmacies sold only $211-million worth of prescriptions into the U.S. in 2006, a steep drop from sales of $420-million in 2005.

The declining revenues forced about 30 online drugstores — whose chief business was selling cheap Canadian medication to U.S. seniors — to close around the country, according to the Canadian International Pharmacy Association. ...more

Buying online drugs: Dos and Don'ts

From CTV News:
Health agencies and experts are providing advice to Canadians who are considering buying drugs over the Internet, with the issue launched back into the spotlight after the recent death of a B.C. woman who took a drug she purchased online.

The B.C. coroner says the 57-year-old Vancouver Island woman bought a sedative not legally sold in Canada, and which has been linked to overdose deaths in other countries. ...more