Bulk drug export nixed

From the Winnipeg Sun:
An Internet pharmacy expert warns a federal plan to ban the bulk export of prescription drugs "when necessary" appears harmless on the surface, but the devil may be in the details.

David MacKay, a consultant to a number of mail-order pharmacies, said it's unclear how Ottawa will define bulk.

"We have to be concerned this is a poison pill being slid under the door," MacKay said yesterday. He noted Internet-based pharmacies generally don't sell prescription drugs in bulk quantities. ...more

Dosanjh lays out long-awaited plan for Internet pharmacy, more action likely this fall

From the Canadian Press:
Canada's Internet pharmacy industry breathed a sigh of relief Wednesday as the federal health minister chose monitoring and consultation over the immediate crackdown many have feared for months.

But Ujjal Dosanjh's lack of specifics during a news conference in Ottawa has left stakeholders divided as to just how long the reprieve will last. ...more

Gravol, children’s Aspirin coming off the shelves of corner stores

From the Charlottetown Guardian:
Certain non-prescription drugs like Gravol, extra strength Advil and children’s Aspirin are about to disappear from the shelves of corner stores in Prince Edward Island.

The province has adopted strict new rules on which drugs can be sold where.

Neila Auld, registrar with the Prince Edward Island Pharmacy Board, says the changes are being made for patient safety. ...more

Hope replacing confidence on Canadian drug plan

From the (Gaithersburg, MD) Business Gazette:
Only four months ago, Montgomery County officials confidently believed county employees would be pocketing savings by now by importing their prescriptions from Canada.

Now, the county is crossing its fingers that it can sign a border-crossing contract before the summer recess, which begins Aug. 1.

"It's a 'when' question, not an 'if' question," said council President Thomas E. Perez, one of the chief proponents of the plan. ...more

Stockpiling of costly flu drug would save money in pandemic setting: study

From the Canadian Press:
Despite the steep initial outlay, governments would save money by stockpiling the antiviral drug oseltamivir as a hedge against a future influenza pandemic, a study suggests.

The study, based on mathematical modelling, argues as long as there is a flu pandemic at least once every 80 years, governments could save their economies more than $3.50 for every $1 they invested in the drug. ...more

Ottawa to crack down on bulk drug exports

From the Globe and Mail:
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Study suggests importing drugs may work in U.S

From the Washington Times:
Acquiring drugs from other countries has worked in the European Union, a sign it could work here with Canada and the EU, according to an AARP report released yesterday.

The Seniors Coalition opposed the idea and said doing so will endanger Americans' lives.

Both groups agree drug costs must be reduced; states and individuals already have started buying drugs from Canada. Seniors on fixed incomes are one of the groups least likely to be able to afford rising prescription drug costs. ...more

Pharmacy accused of dispensing fake drugs allowed to stay open under trustee

From the Canadian Press:
A pharmacy believed to be the first in Canada to dispense fake drugs is being allowed to stay open under the eye of a trustee.

An Ontario Superior Court has also approved an agreement requiring a complete change of inventory at Hamilton's King West Pharmacy.

Police, Ontario's coroner and the body that regulates the province's pharmacists are investigating amid concerns that at least two patients may have died after taking bogus medication. ...more

Pharmacists concerned by bill on Candian drugs

From KCEN-TV (TX):
The federal government is warning Governor Rick Perry that he'll be breaking the law and putting the lives of Texans in danger in he goes forward with a plan to make getting prescription drugs from Canada easier.

But concern is also coming from some local pharmacists, who say this bill is a prescription for danger. ...more

Coroner probes whether six Ontario deaths related to counterfeit drugs

From the Canadian Press:
Ontario's regional coroner for Hamilton has increased to six the number of deaths being probed for possible links to counterfeit heart drugs allegedly dispensed at a local pharmacy.

Dr. David Eden says he anticipates there will be an investigation into whether the most recent death is related to allegations that fake tablets of the heart drug Norvasc were dispensed at the King West Pharmacy in Hamilton. ...more

Quebec's pharmacists order appeals to Supreme Court

From the Montreal Gazette:
The Quebec Order of Pharmacists has asked the Supreme Court of Canada to hear its case for wider powers to investigate drug company kickbacks.

Jocelyn Binet, the order's chief investigator, also known as the syndic, said yesterday the order filed an application Friday to be heard by the top court. ...more

Health Canada advises consumers about important safety information on atypical antipsychotic drugs and dementia

From Health Canada:
Health Canada is advising Canadians about the risks to elderly patients suffering from dementia, who take second-generation antipsychotic medications, also referred to as atypical antipsychotics.

The advice is based on recent studies showing that elderly demented patients prescribed second-generation antipsychotic medications had a 1.6 greater death rate than those patients taking placebos (sugar pills). ...more

Health experts at Chinese conference say schizophrenia drug cures SARS

From the Canadian Press:
A drug used to treat schizophrenia has been shown to prevent and treat severe acute respiratory syndrome, according to Chinese and European experts at a conference in China, the government said Sunday.

Cinanserin was found to inhibit the coronavirus that causes the deadly flu-like SARS, which first emerged in the country's south in late 2002, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The finding was announced by experts attending a meeting of the Sino-European Project on SARS Diagnostics and Antivirals in the coastal city of Hangzhou. ...more

Nevada to help consumers buy drugs from Canada

From the Las Vegas Sun:
Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn has signed a bill that helps consumers buy prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies, adding Nevada to the list of states in open revolt against the Bush administration's drug importation policies.

Nevada will begin inspecting and licensing Canadian pharmacies, which will then be listed on a state-run Web site. Eight states and the District of Columbia operate similar programs. ...more

Bush visit highlights divide over prescription drugs

From In Forum (N.Dak.):
Gov. Tim Pawlenty shared a limousine ride with President Bush on the way to a community center Friday where Bush would tout his Medicare prescription drug benefit.

But a spokesman said Pawlenty didn't bring up his own alternative to high drug prices: Canadian imports. ...more

FDA approves new antibiotic - good news in fight against drug-resistant bugs

From the Canadian Press:
The U.S. government approved a new antibiotic Thursday to give hospitals another weapon against tough-to-treat infections.

Tygacil, known chemically as tigecycline, is an intravenous antibiotic, for use in treating complicated abdominal and skin infections in adults.

New antibiotics are urgently needed because bacteria are evolving to resist the effects of commonly used medications. ...more

Study finds seniors pay more for generic drugs than in U.S., less for brand names

From the Canadian Press:
A report from the Fraser Institute think-tank says senior citizens face higher prices for generic drugs but lower prices for brand-name drugs in Canada than in the United States.

"Canadian seniors pay 64 per cent more, on average, than American seniors for generic versions of drugs that are among the most recommended by physicians for patients aged 65 years and older," the free-market institute said Thursday. ...more

R.I. Draft Rules for Importing Canadian Drugs Include Product Liability

From the Insurance Journal:
The Rhode Island Health Department has drafted guidelines that would govern drug imports from Canada, and help ensure the medications meet quality and safety standards in Rhode Island.

The proposed rules would be another step toward allowing the state to license Canadian pharmacies. ...more

Heat on pharmacy that sold phony drug

From the National Post:
The Ontario College of Pharmacists has filed a court order to close down a Hamilton pharmacy that was allegedly selling fake heart medication.

On Wednesday, police raided the King West Pharmacy in Hamilton and seized an unknown quantity of pills that were counterfeit versions of Norvasc, a potentially life-saving heart drug. ...more

Group wants Plan B moved from behind counter

From CBC Prince Edward Island:
P.E.I.'s Advisory Council on the Status of Women wants the so-called morning-after pill to be sold from drug store shelves.

The province recently adopted national drug schedules. That means the drug levonorgestrel, sold under the brand name Plan B, will available for sale directly from pharmacies. However, the drug will be kept behind the counter, so women will need to ask a pharmacist for it, but no prescription is required. ...more