From the White Plains (NY) Journal News:
Protesting American drug policies
Senior citizens from Rockland and the metro area will travel to Canada next week to demand the federal government do something about the rising costs of prescription drugs in the United States.

That something, they say, is to approve a bill in the Senate that would make it legal to buy prescription drugs from Canada and 20 other industrialized countries.

While some of the riders on the RxExpress bus to Montreal will purchase drugs at cheaper prices there, the two-day trip is meant to send a message or two.

From the San Francisco Examiner:
Drug connection
A Canadian online drug company is reaping a business bonanza thanks to the San Francisco Health Department's Web site, which sends people on a virtual shopping trip to Vancouver, Alberta and Winnepeg.

"Visits to the Web site www.onlinecanadianpharmacy.com are up 349 percent in just one week,'' crows an announcement from the British Columbia-based Web site.

From the Pawtucket (RI) Times:
State legalizes purchase of Canadian presciption drugs
Rhode Island has become the first state to make it legal to purchase prescription drugs from Canada, where prices can be three to four times lower than for the same medicine bought in this country.

Turning aside the importuning of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in the Ocean State, as well as a letter of warning from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services warning that the law would, "undermine key consumer protection standards and place your constituents at unnecessary risk of harm from unregulated pharmaceuticals" Carcieri allowed the measure to become law without his signature Thursday.

From the Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News:
Knowles camp backs Canadian drug imports
U.S. Senate candidate Tony Knowles says in a new campaign ad that Americans ought to be able to import prescription drugs from Canada.

"We pay more than twice as much as Canadians for the same drugs, yet Congress forbids you from ordering the cheaper drugs," he says in his new TV spot.

The Knowles ad doesn't mention Sen. Lisa Murkowski, but his campaign issued a statement to reporters Friday listing Murkowski's record on the issue and alleging that she has "consistently sided with pharmaceutical companies."

From Woonsocket.com (RI):
Canadian drug bill becomes law
A bill that will allow the state Department of Health to issue licenses to Canadian pharmacies became law without the governor’s signature.

The new law, sponsored by Sen. Roger Badeau (D-Dist. 20, Cumberland, Woonsocket), removes an obstacle for Rhode Islanders seeking to buy prescription medicines from Canada, where they are often substantially cheaper.

Carcieri had announced his support for the bill in April, but earlier this week said he might veto it. Several business and health groups as well as two major drugmakers lobbied for a veto, saying the imported drugs would endanger health and stifle the growth of the biotechnology industry.

From Canada.com:
Younger men looking for a lift: Older teens, adults in their 20s are taking Viagra
Forget Bob Dole or Guy Lafleur. The next pitchman for Viagra may be McCauley Culkin.

Lured by the idea that fail-safe and firmer erections may be found in a pill bottle, younger and younger men are asking doctors for erectile dysfunction drugs even when their sexual "functioning" is normal.

Older teens and men in their 20s are taking Viagra or newer erection remedies routinely before dates or parties, doctors report.

From the Billings (MT) Gazette:
More Americans buying drugs north of the border to cut costs
Until earlier this year, Mary Jane Muth hadn't given much thought to the price of prescription drugs.

"We had never had any major medical problems before this," said Muth, who lives in Billings with her husband, Don.

Mary Jane, 58, owns MJ's Therapeutic Massage and Don, 61, runs Don's Auto Shop.

On Feb. 5, after a routine physical, Don learned that he had colon cancer. That in itself was devastating, but other issues soon confronted the couple.

From the Fort Myers (FL) News Press:
Seniors struggle with Canadian drug dispute
Loyal customers of cheaper Canadian drugs say Florida’s recent attempt to close neighborhood storefronts won’t deter them from finding other ways to save on their prescriptions.

Despite state and federal warnings that drugs purchased from foreign and unlicensed pharmacies cannot be regulated for safety, residents are turning to the Internet or direct mail ordering to fill their much-needed prescription medications.

Customers were aghast last month when they heard the state shut down 12 businesses — including one in Bonita Springs and one in Punta Gorda — that connected customers with Canada. The state accused them of acting as unlicensed pharmacies.

From MSNBC:
Rx Processing brings Bay area closer to Canadian drugs
Rx Processing, a company that provides United States residents with access to Canadian pharmaceuticals, is setting up its corporate headquarters in Tampa.

And that's like entering the eye of the hurricane.

Florida is one of the more aggressive states in regulating companies that order Canadian prescription drugs, said David Zazoff, a spokesman for Rx Processing. But he also said the state's large population of senior citizens made it attractive to Rx Processing.

From the Sarasota (FL) Herald Tribune:
Internet pharmacy definition unclear
Businesses ordering Canadian prescription drugs for consumers might insist they aren't pharmacies, but the state is trying to hem them into that definition on more than one front.

A law signed by Gov. Jeb Bush on Wednesday creates a broad definition of what constitutes an "Internet pharmacy" and sets up a separate license category.

Earlier this week, the Florida Department of Health took another approach to rein in the businesses. It invited so-called storefront pharmacies, which help consumers order cheaper medications from Canada, to become licensed as "mail-order" pharmacies.

From the Boston Globe:
City finds a cure in drug imports
Since last fall, John Sullivan has been taking a daily dose of Lipitor and three other drugs imported from Canada as part of a city-sponsored program. He has a one-word response to warnings from the Food and Drug Administration that his drugs could be unsafe.

"Hogwash," said Sullivan, 77, a retired public schools administrator and widower.

As Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston gets ready to defy US government officials and launch a Canadian drug-purchasing plan next month, Springfield's municipal government is wrapping up its first year of an importation program that helped spawn a national movement. Local officials say the program has saved the city $3 million since it began in July -- short of the $7 to $9 million original estimate but still one of the few bright spots in a city on the brink of bankruptcy.

From the Columbus (GA) Ledger-Enquirer:
Fla. May Make Canadian Drugs Easier to Get
State health officials announced Tuesday they would make it easier for storefronts that order prescription drugs from Canada to become licensed as pharmacies, a week after warning a dozen stores they would be shut down.

John O. Agwunobi, secretary of the Florida Department of Health, said the efforts are meant to protect consumers by encouraging more stores to become licensed so the state can regulate them.

"It just makes sense if these guys are in the business of helping people and they want to protect the credibility of their sector of the pharmaceutical community," Agwunobi said.

From the Palm Beach (FL) Post:
Unwanted prescription?
Calling your business a "pharmacy," a discount "drug" store, an "Rx" or an "apothecary" doesn't make it so. But doing so in Florida without a state license to practice pharmacy is now illegal.

The new state law, which Gov. Bush signed last month, strengthens health officials' efforts to shut down or force into regulation dozens of unlicensed storefronts. But Floridians who rely on some of the shops for what may otherwise be unaffordable medicine will take little comfort in this effort to protect consumers as long as Congress refuses to control drug costs.

From the Stamford (Conn.) Advocate:
Business leaders oppose drug importation bill
Business groups and biotechnology companies on Monday called for a veto of a bill allowing prescription drugs to be imported from Canada, claiming there's no guarantee of the drugs' safety and the practice would damage the state's economy.

The briefing followed the General Assembly's approval last week of a bill allowing Canadian pharmacies to be licensed in Rhode Island, which could make it easier for some residents to buy cheaper drugs.

From the Fort Lauderdale (FL) Sun Sentinel:
Canadian drug plan saved city $3 million
Springfield saved $3 million in the first year it bought prescription drugs from Canada for city workers and retirees, less than half of the $7 million to $9 million originally estimated, city officials said.

The savings fell short because the participants didn't fully understand the plan's benefits and because the city boosted the co-payment of its traditional plan as incentive for people to use the Canadian plan with no co-payment, said insurance manager Christopher Collins.

From the Washington Times:
Canadians spend more on drugs than doctors
Canadians' drug purchases comprised 16.2 percent of the country's total health expenditures for 2003, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Of the estimated $16 billion spent on prescribed drugs in Canada in 2003, 47.2 percent was paid for with public funds. In 1998 the public share of prescription-drug costs was 42.5 percent.

CIHI's fourth annual Drug Expenditure in Canada report released Tuesday shows total drug spending reached $19.6 billion in 2003, up 17 percent from 2001. Prescribed drugs are believed to represent 82 percent of all drug spending nationwide.

From CNEWS:
Portland, Me., lets city employees buy Canadian prescription drugs
Portland city employees will have the option of buying some prescription drugs at lower cost through a Canadian company, officials announced Thursday.

Portland joins about three dozen U.S. cities and counties that have prescriptions filled through Ontario-based CanaRx, despite U.S. Food and Drug Administration efforts to stop the practice.

From the Canadian Press:
Two Internet pharmacists face disciplinary hearing by Manitoba regulator
Manitoba's pharmacy watchdog has accused two Internet pharmacists of misconduct for knowingly filling prescriptions for U.S. customers who were not examined by Canadian doctors.

One of the pharmacists, Adelaine Saria of Winnipeg-based CanAmerica Drugs, also allegedly violated the Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association's code of ethics by paying a Manitoba doctor to countersign U.S. prescriptions.

From the Globe and Mail:
Canadian Internet drugs safer than from abroad, U.S. says
A U.S. report that says drug shipments to American consumers from Internet pharmacies in Canada are safer and more reliable than from other countries, is expected to fuel support for three bills before the U.S. Senate to legalize drug imports from Canada.

"You gotta love it," said David MacKay, executive director of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association in Winnipeg.

"The argument should never have been are drugs from Canada safe. It should be how do you get Canadian drugs safely into the hands of American patients."

From the Wausau (Wisc.) Daily Herald:
Seniors seek alternatives to Rx woes Wausau native helps pitch
Wisconsin seniors increasingly are turning to Canadian pharmacies to buy prescription drugs at discounted prices, and some innovative businessmen have created companies to make the process easier.

One of them, Wausau native Dan O'Hearn, sponsored a forum this week attended by about 100 people to tell them how the process can save them hundreds of dollars. Seniors, frustrated by the high costs of drugs and complicated federal and state plans intended to offer them discounts, find going through Canadian pharmacies to be an easier and cheaper way to obtain their medications.

From CTV.ca:
Health Canada warns of cholesterol drug risks
Health Canada has issued a warning about a potentially dangerous condition linked to Crestor, one of the "statin" drugs used to lower cholesterol.

The medication, when taken by patients with certain other health problems, can cause a condition in which muscle cells break down, leading in some cases to kidney failure and even death, says an advisory letter issued to physicians.

AstraZeneca of Mississauga, Ont., Crestor's manufacturer, said eight Canadians taking the drug have experienced the condition - called rhabdomyolysis - since February 2003. All had underlying conditions which increased their risk of developing the muscle-destroying side-effect.

From CBC.ca:
Internet pharmacies applaud U.S. report
Canada's internet pharmacies are welcoming a new American report that they say vindicates their industry.

A report by the American General Accounting Office – the equivalent of Canada's auditor general – found prescription drugs from Canadian websites pose fewer risks than medications purchased from online pharmacies in other countries.

In fact, somes Canadian internet pharmacies had stricter standards even than those in the United States, said David MacKay, director of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association. MacKay expects the report to soften Washington's stance.

From the Lakeland (FL) Ledger:
Canadian Drug Firms Ordered To Cease
Polk County's Canadian prescription services got a wake-up call Friday when the Florida Department of Health issued a cease-and-desist order against Discount Drugs of Canada and Discount Medicine of Canada.

Discount Drugs of Canada has locations in Lakeland and Haines City. Discount Medicine of Canada has locations in Lakeland and Winter Haven.

These companies provide clients with price quotes, fill out the necessary paperwork and handle any additional clerical work needed to send prescriptions to licensed pharmacists in Canada.

From NBC News 4 (CA):
Canadian Drugs Ordered Online Pose Few Risks
A report by the General Accounting Office found that in some instances, Canadian pharmacies had stricter standards than those in the United States.

GAO investigators purchased drugs from Internet pharmacies in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Thailand and seven other countries. They found that the drugs obtained from Canada had fewer problems compared to medications purchased from online pharmacies in other countries.

From the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press:
2 pharmacies added to state Web site
Two more Canadian pharmacies have been added to the MinnesotaRxConnect.com Web site, bringing the number of sites to four, state Human Services Department officials announced Thursday.

Canada US Pharmacy and CanadaDrugs.com, both in Manitoba, have joined Total Care Pharmacy and Granville Pharmacy. Officials from the department and the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy visited the newly added pharmacies in mid-April.

From the Australian:
Pro-lifers back pill U-turn
RIGHT to Life Australia (RLA) has welcomed reports the morning after pill could become a prescription-only drug again.

It said pharmacists had reported alarming increases in requests for the morning-after pill, mostly from teenagers.

RLA president Margaret Tighe today said giving young women unfettered access to a powerful hormonal substance was irresponsible.

"This (making the pill available) has been the most irresponsible act on the part of those in authority," she said.

(Editor's note: Not specifically a Canadian pharmacy story, but it does give insight into what has happened in a country that has made the morning after pill an OTC item, which is being proposed in Canada.)

From the Montreal Gazette:
Pill poppers may be better dieting
Are Canadians popping pills to suppress medical symptoms that could be helped with diet or an exercise program instead?

In too many cases the answer appears to be 'yes,' at least, according to an analysis conducted for The Gazette by IMS Health, an independent Montreal-based research firm, and subsequent interviews with a wide range of Canadian doctors.

From WMUR-TV (NH):
Federal Candidates Support Canadian Drug Importation
Nearly all the candidates hoping to represent New Hampshire in Washington support the legal importation of Canadian drugs, but they disagree on how prescriptions should get from manufacturers to mailboxes.

Several candidates so far have stepped forward to challenge Republican Sen. Judd Gregg and Reps. Charles Bass and Jeb Bradley, who face re-election this fall.

Across party lines, most say allowing Americans to fill prescriptions in Canada makes sense, given the public's growing frustration with drug prices and open defiance of the federal ban on such imports.

From the Globe and Mail:
More are suffering gastric bleeding from pain drugs
The popularity of a new generation of painkillers has led to a sharp increase in the number of people suffering from bleeding ulcers, according to a new study.

The research, published in today's edition of the British Medical Journal, suggests that about 2,000 additional people are being hospitalized annually with gastrointestinal bleeds in Canada as a result of taking the drugs, which are sold under the brand names Celebrex, Vioxx and Mobicox.

From the Portland (OR) Tribune:
Canadian drugs still entice
The flow of cheaper prescription drugs from Canada isn’t likely to slow down.

Not if people like 73-year-old Felix Calkins of Portland are set on saving money and having easy access to northern druggists. That’s despite Oregon pharmacists warning, as they do in a new public education campaign unveiled Wednesday, not to buy the medications.

Health Canada, Canada’s equivalent of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is “not about to allow drugs that are counterfeit to be sold by pharmacies there,” says Calkins, who found that by buying blood pressure medication from Canada, he could save about $800 a year on his medications.

From the Indianapolis Star:
Senior group joins fight for imported drugs
United Senior Action of Indiana this morning filed a class-action lawsuit similar to one filed May 19 by another seniors group seeking to force Eli Lilly and other major drug companies to allow Americans to buy drugs from Canada.

United Senior Action's suit, also filed in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, earns it a place at the table as the litigation plays out, said Bill Kane, a partner in the Chicago law firm of Miller Faucher and Cafferty.

From the Toronto Star:
Drug errors affect 1 in 9 patients
Canadians put themselves at risk of infection, broken bones or drug mix-ups every time they set foot in hospitals, doctor's offices or local pharmacies, according to a report released yesterday by the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

"I think anytime anybody enters a hospital or they seek care, there's a potential for infection and there's a risk. Some of it is very minor, some of it is major, but there's always a potential risk," said John Ward, chair of the Canadian Patient Safety Institute.

"We will never eliminate error or adverse events completely, but we can certainly reduce the incidence," he said.

From KGW-TV (Ore.):
New campaign says foreign prescription drugs can be unsafe, ineffective
A new federal campaign seeks to warn consumers about the risks of buying prescription drugs from Canada and other foreign countries.

The campaign, "Looks Can Be Deceiving," says that pharmaceuticals purchased from outside the United States can be unsafe, ineffective or even counterfeit, with no guarantees of their strength or quality.

From Bend.com (Ore.):
Feds, pharmacists urge halt to Canadian imports
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, addressing rising concerns about the illegal importation of prescription drugs, joined the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and the Oregon State Pharmacy Association Wednesday to launch a comprehensive consumer education campaign, warning Oregonians of the dangers of illegal drug importation.

Officials with the Coalition for Manitoba Pharmacy, a Canadian community pharmacy organization, joined their American counterparts at the announcement in Portland, to stress their shared concerns on the issue.

From the FDA:
FDA Public Health Advisory for Crestor (rosuvastatin)
Astra-Zeneca Pharmaceuticals today released a revised package insert for Crestor (rosuvastatin) for use in the 22 member states of the European Union (EU). The changes to the European labeling are in response to postmarketing spontaneous adverse event reports in patients receiving Crestor and highlight certain patient populations who may be at an increased risk for serious muscle toxicity (myopathy) associated with Crestor use, especially at the highest approved dose of 40 mg. These risk factors and many of the recommendations for how to minimize the risk of myopathy are already captured in the FDA approved labeling for Crestor in the U.S. FDA is alerting physicians to the need to carefully read the Crestor product label and follow the recommendations for starting doses, dose adjustments, and maximum daily doses to minimize the risk of myopathy in individual patients.

From the Canadian Press:
Novartis firm Sandoz buys Quebec-based Sabex Holdings for $763 million
Swiss-based drug giant Novartis is paying $763 million Cdn to acquire a Quebec maker of generic drugs, Sabex Holdings Ltd.

Sabex, a specialist in injectable generic drugs such as morphine, has annual sales of about $120 million and 450 employees. The deal should help expand the Sabex operations and there wouldn't be any job losses or management changes, said Sandra MacTavish, a spokeswoman for Sandoz, the generic drug unit of Novartis.

From the Norwich (CT) Bulletin:
Canada trip to buy drugs is called off; Pfizer blamed
The president of the Connecticut Council of Senior Citizens asked U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons Monday to use his "substantial influence" with Pfizer Inc. to stop the company from threatening Canadian pharmacies that sell prescription drugs to Americans.

Charlene Block said that a senior bus trip to Montreal next week to purchase lower-cost prescription drugs had to be canceled because of Pfizer's recent actions against Canadian pharmacies and distributors, including the suspension of two distribution licenses.

From the Lake County (WI) Reporter:
Store offers relief to high cost of drugs
The ever-rising cost of prescription drugs has led to a state lawsuit, to state and local governments looking for alternatives, and has become a major issue in this presidential election year.

A common underlying theme in all those aspects is the lower cost of prescription drugs our neighbors to the north are paying.

Those lower-cost prescription drugs are now just a short drive or local phone call away.

Jon Oaks and Mark Lindow, owners of American Advantage Insurance in Waukesha, obtained a Canada Drug Service franchise, which opened its doors Feb. 1.

From the International Herald Tribune:
Novartis to buy Canadian drug maker
Novartis, Switzerland's largest drug company, said on Monday that it would acquire the closely held Canadian generic drug maker Sabex Holdings for $565 million in cash.

Sabex, based in Quebec, is a leading maker of injectable generic drugs and has annual sales of about $90 million. Novartis's Sandoz unit is the world's second-largest generic drug maker.

From the (Manchester, NH) Union Leader:
Drug bills vie for support
Competing plans in the U.S. Senate that would allow patients to buy prescriptions from Canada and Europe could mean that some sort of reimportation law is on the horizon, observers say.

The question on many minds is whether buying from foreign pharmacies really solves the problem of high prices in the United States.

Sen. Judd Gregg, R-NH, introduced a plan last week that would allow importation of prescriptions from Canada and Europe, under control of the Federal Drug Administration. Gregg chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, giving him some power over what a final version of the bill will look like.

From Health Canada:
Important Drug Safety Information: Warning for SSRIs and
other newer anti-depressants regarding the potential for behavioural and emotional changes, including risk of self-harm
Celexa
Effexor
Prozac
Remeron
Zoloft
Paxil
Luvox

From the Canadian Press:
Health Canada has plan for drug shortages caused by Internet trade: documents
Health Canada is bracing for a drug shortage even as the department assures Canadians there is no evidence lucrative Internet pharmacies have created one, documents suggest.

In briefing notes prepared for federal Health Minister Pierre Pettigrew, department officials also warn of "likely implications for Canada's health-care system should there be no intervention to prevent/restrict cross-border drug sales."

From the Carolina Channel:
Upstate Couple Says They're Still Saving With Canadian Drugs
Two years ago, Bob and Carmen Arick of Spartanburg said they were saving big money by ordering their prescription drugs from Canada.

The Aricks told Tim Waller this week that things haven't changed.

"I'm saving at least 40 to 50 percent off the U.S. price," Bob Arick said.

The Aricks order from a pharmacy in Montreal, getting the same drugs pharmacies in this country sell, including drugs from Eli Lilly and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

From the Kansas City Star:
Are risks worth the rewards?
The safety issue is being swept aside much too expediently when it comes to the push for liberalization of drug reimportation from Canada.

Even though there is growing political support for congressional approval of foreign-source access, safety concerns are being sacrificed to the clamor for cheaper prescription drugs. The Food and Drug Administration has the authority to sanction reimportation but has been reluctant to do so because for safety reasons.

From the Los Angeles Daily News:
Pill makers rushing to push risks of buying drugs abroad
As California moves closer to passing laws that would make drug imports from Canada easier, the pharmaceutical industry is attempting to debunk the benefits of buying medication abroad.

Most of the anti-importation rhetoric stems from pharmaceutical companies that feel threatened by the glut of prescription drugs coming from Canada. The drug industry says it is difficult to ensure quality when prescriptions are filled in foreign countries. But advocates of drug imports are convinced that soaring costs can be tamed by tapping Canada, where regulations virtually parallel those of the United States.

From the Toronto Star:
Clean out medicine cabinet
The recent discovery of a tube of antibiotic cream from 1955 in the Abbotsford, B.C., home of a retired nurse prompts the question: Just what is hiding in Canada's medicine cabinets?

While most homes aren't harbouring decades-old medications, it's not uncommon for these items to take up shelf space well past their expiry dates.

And those not accustomed to taking stock of their supplies could — at the very least — be left with medicines reduced to the status of a placebo.

From Bloomberg:
Massachusetts Town Defies Bush on Drug Imports, Saves $2.8 Mln
Springfield Massachusetts saved $2.8 million in the past year by importing prescription drugs from Canada for its employees and pensioners, defying the Bush administration, the world's biggest drugmakers and local doctors.

The ``Springfield Meds'' program benefits from cost reductions of as much as 70 percent because of Canada's price controls. The savings show why U.S. cities, counties and states are pressuring Congress to make it easier to import medicines.

While the Bush administration opposes imports, citing safety concerns, regulators helped New Hampshire Republican Senator Judd Gregg craft a proposal to make the process legal. Gregg announced his bill Wednesday and said his health committee would vote on it by the end of July. Two similar bills have been proposed in the Senate, and the House has passed an import measure.

From the Washington Times:
Spat erupts over online drug advertising
Top online search engines are being accused of favoritism for allowing ads for discount Canadian prescription drugs but barring ads for pain and sex drugs.

The two biggest Internet search engines, google.com and yahoo.com say they plan to continue carrying ads for Canadian pharmacies, even though it is illegal for U.S. customers to buy drugs from them, but both have cracked down on the sale of such drugs as Viagra and Vicodin without prescriptions.

From MLive.com (Mich.):
At long last, gum is legal in Singapore
For years, Hidayat Osman got around this city-state's ban on the sale of chewing gum by picking up an occasional pack in neighboring Malaysia.

So it was a pleasant surprise when the 24-year-old saw a few perfectly legal boxes of Wrigley's Orbit chewing gum tucked on a shelf behind a pharmacist's counter here.

"After all these years, it'll be nice to get it locally," he said, as he was about to ask for a pack.

Not so fast. The clerk pointed to a sign that says the pharmacist -- the only person who can legally dispense gum -- was out to lunch. "Wow. It's like a controlled substance," Mr. Osman laughed.

(Editor's note: Not a Canadian pharmacy story, but I thought it was interesting that pharmacists dispense chewing gum in Singapore.)

From Medical News Today (UK):
Gregg prescription drugs importation bill would allow only FDA-approved products USA
New Hampshire senator's proposed legislation provides government safeguards for imported prescription drugs.

Sen. Judd Gregg (R–N.H.) unveiled a drug importation bill on June 2 that would allow pharmacies and wholesalers to legally import prescription medicines from Canada and possibly Europe. Gregg is chair of the Senate Health Committee, which recently held a hearing to discuss whether prescription drug importation could be conducted without posing great harm to American consumers, This is the third drug importation bill introduced to the Senate this year.

From the (Denver) Rocky Mountain News:
Canadian drug petition denied
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has officially denied a petition from Gov. Rod Blagojevich for a pilot program to buy prescription drugs from Canada.

Blagojevich and officials in other states have been pushing the Bush administration to change its policy prohibiting Canadian drug imports in a bid to save the state money on drug costs.

From the Boston Globe:
Senate battle looms over drug imports
A showdown is looming in the US Senate over prescription drug imports.

A Republican bill introduced this week to legalize imports takes a softer line against the US pharmaceutical industry than a competing, bipartisan bill, setting up a clash that will test the strength of importation advocates.

The expected confrontation hinges on the key difference between the tougher measure, backed by Democratic Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Republican John McCain of Arizona, among others, and the bill introduced Wednesday by New Hampshire Republican Judd Gregg, chairman of the Senate committee for health care.

From Bend.com (OR):
Smith co-authors bill to allow Canada drug imports
Sens. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., and Chairman Judd Gregg, R-N.H., of the Committee on Health Education, Labor, and Pensions on Wednesday introduced the Safe Importing of Medical Products and Rx Therapies (Safe IMPORT) Act to allow individuals, pharmacies, and wholesalers to safely import prescription drugs from Canada and as many as 15 Western European countries.

“Everyone agrees that we have to do something about the high cost of prescription drugs,” said Smith. “The real question is how to do it safely and without destroying incentives to produce life-saving medicine. We’ve struck a good balance here – one that will quickly make imports legal while providing the same protection we have for drugs purchased in the United States.”

From NorthFulton.com (GA):
Canadian prescription drugs get storefront
More and more the pharmaceutical industry is being challenged in the United States by foreign prescription-drug exporters who are delivering drugs to U.S. citizens for a fraction of their cost at U.S. pharmacies.

The sales for the drugs have mostly come over the Internet, but in Roswell Atlanta Rx Assistance has given the Canadian prescription drug industry a local storefront.

A report earlier this year on National Public Radio told the story about a woman whose father had cancer. The drug to fight his cancer cost $47,000 a year, more than they could afford. So she now travels out of the country to buy the same drug for $1,200 a year. The move saved the man’s life.

From the Washington Post:
Importing a Fight With Boston's Biotech Industry
A biotechnology powerhouse. An importer of prescription drugs from Canada. Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino says that his city can be both.

In July, Boston, which rivals San Francisco as the world capital of the biotechnology industry, is set to become the largest and most influential city to make it easier for public employees to buy imported pharmaceuticals. The effort is part of a nationwide movement that its architects say will make medicine more affordable for Americans, who pay among the highest drug prices in the world.

From the Milwaukee Channel:
Oak Creek Employees Get Canadian Drugs
The Milwaukee suburb of Oak Creek could become the first community in Wisconsin to offer its employees the option of buying prescription drugs from Canada.

The Oak Creek Common Council meets tonight to consider linking city employees to Canadian drugs.

Alderman Al Foeckler says it could save the city more than $100,000 -- and it could reduce or eliminate copayments for medication.

From the North Adams (Mass.) Transcript:
Legalization of foreign drugs alive on two separate tracks in Washington
The estimated 6,900 Berkshire County seniors who can't afford to fill pricey prescriptions may have some relief by election day as the legalization of importing Canadian drugs moves forward on two separate tracks in Washington.

Adding momentum to the movement, 18 attorneys general, including Massachusetts top lawman Tom Reilly, have signed a letter backing re-importation, as have the heads of retail drug giants CVS pharmacy and Walgreens.

From the Canadian Press:
200 pharmacies team up in PharmaChoice-United Pharmacist partnership
More than 200 independent pharmacies are joining forces across Canada as they face competition with such giant chains as Shoppers Drug Mart and supermarket drugstores.

PharmaChoice of Halifax and United Pharmacist Enterprises Limited said Monday they have agreed to create PharmaChoice Prairies and will use the PharmaChoice banner name.

From the Sacramento Business Journal:
Oh, Canada! Stores selling cheap drugs can't beat HMOs
A storefront in Carmichael that sold prescription drugs from Canada at cut-rate prices has closed its doors due to lack of business.

Another medicine-from-Canada venture on Arden Way continues to operate but demand has slowed to roughly four or five patients a day.

The dream of making big bucks by helping desperate patients get cheap drugs from Canada hasn't panned out in Greater Sacramento because most people here have insurance that gives them a better deal.

From Newsday (NY):
A cross-border drug supplier is reborn
Our thanks to reader Bud S., formerly of Commack, now of Lake Worth, Fla., who led us to discover that one of the pioneers in helping Americans gain access to Canadian prescription drugs has shut down, partly because of pressure from the Bush administration.

In this case, the administration speaks with forked tongue. For while the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services try to prevent us from buying Canadian drugs, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson says that if Congress passes legislation to allow it, he'd tell the president to sign.

From the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press:
FDA calls Minnesota drug plan 'irresponsible'
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says a Minnesota program to eliminate co-payments for state employees who buy low-cost drugs from Canadian Internet pharmacies is "irresponsible" in terms of consumer safety.

The program "encourages your citizens to seek medications from outside the safety net provided by U.S. drug laws designed to ensure consumer safety," William Hubbard, U.S. Food and Drug Administration assistant commissioner for policy and planning, wrote in his second letter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican.

From the Globe and Mail:
Internet drug sales may cause Canada pain
A new willingness in the U.S. Senate and Bush administration to legalize on-line drug imports from Canada is beginning to rattle through the corridors of Parliament Hill.

''Six months ago, Ottawa's position was this was an issue for Americans to solve: namely, reducing the cost of drugs in the U.S.,'' said one drug industry official.

"Now, with the reality of legalized imports from Canada, it's suddenly become a Canadian issue."

From the Sacramento Bee:
Assembly OKs Web site to help Californians buy cheaper Canadian drugs
Responding to consumer complaints about the high cost of prescription drugs, the state Assembly voted Wednesday to create a state Web site to help Californians buy cheaper medications through Canadian pharmacies.

By a 48-17 vote, lawmakers sent the Senate a bill by Assemblyman Dario Frommer, D-Los Angeles, that would require the Department of Health Services to set up the site by July 1, 2005.

It would require the Web site to include a comparison of prices charged in California and Canada for the 50 most commonly prescribed brand-name medications and to list links to Canadian pharmacies that meet requirements designed to ensure the drugs they sell are safe.

From the Tallahassee (FL) Democrat:
FDA suggests inspection program for Canadian pharmacies
After months of hammering Minnesota over its program that helps people buy low-priced prescription drugs from Canada, the Food and Drug Administration is offering the state an opening.

In a letter sent this week, FDA Associate Commissioner Bill Hubbard asked Gov. Tim Pawlenty if he would be willing to participate in an inspection of Canadian pharmacies with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

The suggestion came at the end of a letter in which Hubbard chastised the governor for a new state program that allow state employees to obtain certain prescription drugs for free if they order from a state-inspected Canadian pharmacy.

From KTLA-TV (Calif.):
Drug Firms Say, 'No, Canada'
The name they picked is Cures, but the drug makers, biotech millionaires and pharmacists who founded the group aren't searching for the next miracle drug.

They are looking for votes from the California Legislature.

The lobbying group is just one of several altruistic-sounding entities with financial links to the drug industry that have materialized around the Capitol. They want to kill a flood of legislation — including four measures being voted on this week — that would ease the way for drug imports from Canada.

From CBC.ca:
Massachusetts senators push state website for Canadian drugs
Massachusetts would create an official website to help residents buy lower cost prescription drugs from Canada under a plan approved by the state senate on Thursday.

The proposal requires Gov. Mitt Romney to seek a U.S. government waiver to create a new Office of Pharmaceutical Information in the Department of Public Health, to provide information to residents about how to buy safe, inexpensive prescription drugs from Canada. The office would be required to establish relationships only with Canadian suppliers that have been licensed by the Canadian government.

Supporters said the plan will help cash-strapped seniors and others struggling with the spiralling cost of medicine.

From the Globe and Mail:
Physician, heal thy handwriting
Patients who visit Alan Brookstone's doctor's office in Richmond, B.C., are noticing a dramatic difference in the prescriptions he is writing these days: They can read them.

That's because Dr. Brookstone's prescription pads have gone missing. The familiar sound of their doctor's pen scribbling a note to a pharmacist has been replaced by a quiet tapping, as he pecks a plastic stylus against a metal object slightly larger than a sheet of paper and about two centimetres thick.

From the Seattle Post Intelligencer:
Potomac Watch: Debate on prescription drug imports is how, not if
The debate over importation of cheap prescription drugs from other countries has shifted here from arguments about whether the practice should be done to how it should be done.

The House already has passed a bill to further legalize and regulate importation and several bills are working through the Senate. Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., has promised a floor vote on the issue this year. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson has said government approval of importation is "inevitable" and even industry opponents concede defeat.

"We started sensing (a shift) beginning early this year," said Robert Falb, congressional affairs director for the Healthcare Distribution Management Association, the industry group for wholesale distributors of prescription drugs.

From the Louisville (KY) Courier Journal:
Buying medicine abroad backed
Almost two-thirds of Kentuckians want the federal government to make it easier to buy prescription drugs from Canada and other countries, according to The Courier-Journal's Bluegrass Poll.

Sixty-three percent of the 811 adults surveyed May 5-11 said they favor a change in federal policy to facilitate such drug purchases.

"My aunt is 82 years old, and she pays hundreds of dollars for her medications," said Carolyn Gore of Louisville, a poll participant who agreed to an interview about her views.

From the Toronto Star:
Medical errors affect 1 in 13
One in every 13 patients treated in hospital is at risk of suffering an unintended injury or complication that results in death, disability or delayed hospital discharge, according to the first study of "adverse events" in Canadian hospitals.

About 185,000 patients are harmed while being treated in hospital each year, with between 9,000 and 24,000 patients dying after experiencing a surgical accident or medical oversight.

The numbers are probably an underestimate, said Dr. Peter Norton, co-author of the research and head of the faculty of medicine at the University of Calgary.

From WKYT-TV (KY):
Poll: 63% Want Drug Purchases From Canada
A majority of Kentuckians want the federal government to change policy and make it easier to buy prescription drugs from Canada and other countries, according to a newspaper poll.

In a Bluegrass Poll conducted by the Courier-Journal between May 5-11, 63 percent of 811 adult respondents said they would favor such a change in federal policy.

From the Tallahassee (FL) Democrat:
Canadian imports may be an option
Leon County may be looking north to Canada in hopes of lowering its prescription drug costs - even though doing so would violate federal law.

Commissioner Bob Rackleff is asking county staff to explore the feasibility of a program allowing the county to purchase medicine from Canada. Commissioners will vote on whether to proceed with the idea during a meeting tonight.

Although Congress has banned importing drugs from other countries, Rackleff said the federal government has not prosecuted people or governments that do so. Cities such as Montgomery, Ala. and Springfield, Mo., and states such as Illinois, Minnesota, Oregon and Wisconsin have such programs in place, he said.

From the Phoenix Business Journal:
Kyl defends opposition to Canadian drug imports
Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl is questioning the reliability and safety of Canadian prescription drugs that fellow Arizona Republicans want to allow into the U.S. market.

There is growing support at the state and federal levels to lift Food & Drug Administration restrictions on less expensive Canadian drugs into the U.S.

Arizona Sen. John McCain is one of the leading advocates of drug importation and Valley GOP Congressmen J.D. Hayworth and Jeff Flake also back such a move. The aim is to offer less expensive prescription drugs in the face of skyrocketing costs. "

From the Globe and Mail:
Net pharmacies think global in battle to keep supply flowing
Andrew Strempler wants Americans to know that he still has cholesterol-lowering Lipitor for sale.

''We've been running with a one- to two-week stock of Pfizer products and six weeks of non-Pfizer,'' said the president of Minnedosa, Man.-based Mediplan Health Consulting Inc., one of Canada's largest Internet pharmacies.

Even though drug giant Pfizer Inc., which makes Lipitor and a basket of other blockbuster drugs, is spearheading a campaign to strangle the sale of low-cost Canadian drugs to Americans, Mr. Strempler claims his two plants are still dispensing 2,000 to 2,500 prescriptions a day at an average value of $225 (U.S.) to $250 each.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Canadian pharmacies fill prescriptions with unapproved generics, group says
Three Canadian pharmacies have filled some Wisconsin residents' prescriptions with unapproved generics instead of the brand-name drugs that actually were prescribed, the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin has charged.

The pharmacies are listed on Wisconsin's state-sponsored Web site for buying drugs from Canada.

The three pharmacies also have mailed drugs that require refrigeration, such as insulin, the trade group said. Drugs requiring refrigeration lose their potency if not kept cool, the society said.

From the Montreal Gazette:
Pharmacies look to quash prescription drug companies' blacklists
Four Canadian pharmacies have filed complaints with the federal Competition Bureau to stop drug companies from blacklisting them as part of an effort to quash cross-border Web sales.

From the Globe and Mail:
Prescription needed for pharmacist shortage
Ron Elliott has been a pharmacist in St. Thomas, Ont., since 1985. While he says he loves his job, he's found it has become more demanding over the years.

Like many Canadian pharmacists, particularly in rural areas, Mr. Elliott often finds himself short-staffed. In fact, he only recently succeeded in filling one of two vacancies he has had since August.

"My average week in the dispensary has grown from what used to be about 30 to 35 hours a week to now, averaging between 55 and, some weeks, 70 [hours]," he says. "I pick up the extra shifts when we're short."

From the Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal:
Growing numbers turn to Canada to buy cheaper prescription drugs
For about three months, Charles Wingfield has been ordering his prescription drugs through Discount Medicine of Canada, a store located off Grant Line Road in New Albany, Ind.

The Louisville retiree said he figures that buying Canadian drugs for his breathing and blood pressure has saved him about $100 over that period.

"I am delighted with it," said Wingfield, 76. "That fits very well in my wallet."

From Bloomberg:
U.S. Senate to Hear Testimony on Importing Drugs From Canada
U.S. senators will hear testimony today about the safety of importing drugs from Canada as support grows among Republican and Democratic lawmakers to legalize purchases from countries where drug prices are lower.

Senators including Republicans Judd Gregg of New Hampshire and Charles Grassley of Iowa, and a group led by North Dakota Democrat Byron Dorgan and Maine Republican Olympia Snowe are pressing to legalize imports to reduce medical costs for state employees, retirement programs and the elderly.

From the Fort Wayne (IN) News Sentinel:
Coleman to push safety provisions in bill to allow drug imports
Sen. Norm Coleman said he would abandon his opposition to the importation of cheaper prescription drugs if a new bill includes a set of safety provisions he will introduce this week.

Coleman, R-Minn., has long argued against importing drugs from countries such as Canada because he said the safety of the drugs could not be guaranteed.

On Wednesday, he said he was hopeful that his safety proposals would be adopted into legislation being prepared by Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., who chairs the Senate Health Committee.

From CBC.ca:
Access to Canadian internet pharmacies subject of U.S. lawsuit
Manitoba's internet pharmacies are at the centre of a class-action lawsuit being filed in the United States.

The Minnesota Seniors' Federation and other plaintiffs claim that nine major drug companies have conspired to block the supply of drugs to Canadian wholesalers and pharmacies that sell them to Americans.

From Minnesota Public Radio:
Seniors group files lawsuit over Canada imports
The suit claims the drug companies are conspiring to limit drug sales to any Canadian pharmacy that sells prescription drugs to Americans. Chicago-based attorney Marvin Miller filed the suit with the help of the Minnesota Senior Federation. He's asking the court to make it a class action suit, so it would include all affected consumers, not just the three plaintiffs named in the filing. He says consumers would benefit if drug companies allowed cross-border sales because of increased competition between American and Canadian pharmacies. Miller says he's seeking attorneys' fees, unspecified damages and a stop to the companies' anti-import efforts.

"We believe that they did meet, that they did confer and that they implemented a policy or policies to threaten to cut off the supply of pharmaceuticals to Canadian wholesalers and pharmacies when those prescription drugs would come back into the United States," Miller says.

From Reuters (UK):
Canada Mulls Re-Export Curbs on U.S.-Made Drugs
Canada is considering controls on Internet pharmacies that re-export U.S.-made drugs to the United States, Canadian government and industry sources said on Wednesday.

"I can tell you an export control list and export taxes have been discussed twice so far this year at the cabinet level," one source said. Three other sources corroborated that a committee of cabinet ministers discussed those options and that the ideas remain under consideration.

Large U.S.-based drug companies have warned Canadian pharmacies that ship lower-cost medicines to U.S. patients to halt the practice or risk being cut off.

From KTLA-TV (CA):
O.C. to Study Canada Drugs
An Orange County supervisor wants to consider allowing county employees to buy prescription drugs from Canada — a practice prohibited by federal law — to reduce healthcare costs.

Supervisor Chuck Smith said he will ask the board to study the potential cost savings and legal liability of allowing county workers to defy the Food and Drug Administration and buy drugs from Canada.

Many name-brand prescription drugs are cheaper in Canada because of its federal government's price restrictions.

From the New York Times:
Morning-After Pill in Canada: Prescription May Not Be Needed
The government proposed on Tuesday to allow women to obtain the so-called morning-after birth control pill without a prescription at any pharmacy in Canada.

The proposal needs to go through a review by Health Canada, the chief medical regulatory agency, but it is expected to meet final approval in the next few months.

The move comes only weeks after the acting director of the Food and Drug Administration in the United States declined to allow the morning-after pill to be sold without a prescription.

From CTV.ca:
Ottawa to make morning-after-pill more accessible
Health Canada is moving ahead with plans to make the morning-after-pill available without a prescription, but it may still require consultation with a pharmacist before purchase.

By doing so, women would get more timely access to emergency contraceptives, Health Minister Pierre Pettigrew said in a statement.

"Making the drug available in pharmacies without a prescription will help women to prevent unwanted pregnancies," he said.

From the Seattle Times:
Canadian clinics cutting off drugs for Americans
Canadian medical clinics are quietly informing American patients they will no longer help them obtain prescription drugs, after stern warnings from a major insurer that doctors who are sued by Americans won't be covered.

The move threatens to restrict access to cheaper drugs purchased by hundreds of thousands of Americans who visit Canadian clinics or buy online from Canadian pharmacies.

From the Duluth (Minn.) News Tribune:
Minnesota drug plan may be illegal
A federal official said a plan by the state of Minnesota to buy drugs from Canada for state employees may be illegal.

William Hubbard, the associate commissioner for policy of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said he will tell Gov. Tim Pawlenty in a letter that the agency is concerned about the plan.

Hubbard has already sent Pawlenty a letter about the state Web site that links Minnesotans to Canadian drug companies.

From USA Today:
U.S. drug needs would overwhelm Canada
Canada has doubled its imports of prescription drugs since 1999 — a period that saw U.S. residents increasingly buying drugs from Canada — and would be unable to meet the demand created if U.S. law allowed greater access.

That's the conclusion of a University of Texas-Austin researcher, who studied the issue at the request of two congressmen, using government data from both countries. The study, out Monday, attempts to quantify the potential impact of U.S. demand for pharmaceuticals on Canada and will likely spur further debate about opening U.S. borders to medications from abroad.

From the Globe and Mail:
America's new war on drugs targets Canadian pharmacists
In the United States's new war on drugs, small-town Canadian pharmacists like David Byers are the ones caught in the crossfire.

The New Brunswick pharmacy owner is one of dozens across the country who must to stop selling prescription drugs to U.S. residents after the pharmaceutical giants got tough and cut off their supply.

Some retailers have let go of staff because of the drop in business when they stopped shipping south. One, Sun Valley Pharmacy in Altona, Man., closed last month.

From the Fort Worth (TX) Star Telegram:
States look to Canada to find cheaper prescriptions
Those faced with high prescription drug costs who are weary of buying their drugs in Canada or over the Internet have two unusual allies: the governors of Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Both have sent health officials to Canada to investigate Internet drugstores based there and subsequently put links to those pharmacies on state-run Web sites.

Because Canadian prescription drug prices are regulated, prices are generally lower than in the United States, sometimes significantly lower.

From the Decatur (IN) Daily Democrat:
Prescription crusade gains momentum
When a Bush administration Cabinet member said last week that ``Congress is going to pass'' legislation permitting consumers to buy lower-priced prescription drugs from abroad, it sounded like a policy turnaround.

Actually, the White House still strongly opposes the legislation, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson wasn't embracing the idea, just recognizing the inevitable.

From the Grand Forks (ND) Herald:
FDA says Minnesota drug plan may be illegal
A federal official said a plan by the state of Minnesota to buy drugs from Canada for state employees may be illegal.

William Hubbard, the associate commissioner for policy of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said he will tell Gov. Tim Pawlenty in a letter that the agency is concerned about the plan.

From the Billings (MT) Gazette:
Minnesota launches Canadian-drug program
Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced Thursday a new program that will allow state employees to obtain certain prescription drugs for free if they order the medication from a state-inspected Canadian pharmacy.

The program applies to 45 of the most popular name-brand medicines that do not have generic alternatives. State officials estimate savings of $1.4 million a year because the drugs can be purchased for less in Canada.

About 120,000 employees and their dependents would be eligible. The state would cover shipping fees, along with the $15 monthly co-payments that are required for each prescription if employees buy their medicines from U.S. pharmacists.

From Medical News Today:
Minnesota State employees will get prescription drugs free from Canada
The Governor of Minnesota, Tim Pawlentry, said that a new program is being set up which will make it possible for Minnessota state employees to get some prescription drugs completely free if they order the drugs from a state-inspected Canadian pharmacy.

The drugs included in this plan are 45 of the most popular prescription brand names for which there are no generics available. The savings could amount to about $1.4 million per year. Prescription drugs in Canada are much cheaper than they are in the USA. In fact, prescription drugs are cheaper everywhere when compared to USA prices.

From the San Fransisco Chronicle:
Democrats want task force on drug imports to speed recommendations
Speed it up, Democratic governors and lawmakers are telling a Bush administration task force that is looking at legalizing prescription drug imports.

The panel, made up of federal health officials, held its final public meeting Friday. Its recommendations to Congress aren't due until after the election, but Surgeon General Richard Carmona, the chairman, said its findings would be sent to Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson by the fall, perhaps sooner. "I don't want to stifle discussion or important input, but I want to keep the process moving along," Carmona said.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Petro pushes Canadian drug plan
One of Ohio's top elected officials is asking the federal government to allow the importation of low-cost drugs from Canada.

Attorney General Jim Petro joined 19 other state attorneys general in asking Tommy Thompson, the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to authorize their system for permitting Canadian drugs to enter the United States.

"There needs to be immediate action - right now - to help relieve the financial burden faced by so many Ohioans who need prescription drugs," Petro said.

From Health Canada:
Important Safety Update: Diarrhea and Ischemic Colitis in Patients Using ZELNORM* (tegaserod hydrogen maleate)

From the Globe and Mail:
'Herbal Viagra' can contain real drugs
Some "herbal" and "all-natural" versions of the anti-impotence drug Viagra actually contain the real thing, and could pose a serious health risk to people who take them, Canadian researchers are warning.

"These are being marketed as being safe and natural products, but it is plausible that deaths have occurred or could occur," Neil Fleshner, a urologist at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, said yesterday.

From the Toronto Star:
Bayer bids to market pot-based MS drug in Canada
Pharmaceutical giant Bayer HealthCare has applied to market a marijuana-based drug in Canada. If approved, it would be the first cannabis-based drug legally available in this country for the relief of debilitating symptoms of multiple sclerosis and severe neuropathic pain.

Bayer and GW Pharmaceuticals of Britain announced Tuesday they had filed a new drug submission to Health Canada for Sativex, an oral spray developed by GW Pharmaceuticals and licensed to Bayer.

From the Wichita (Kan.) Eagle:
Push to import drugs grows
The push for legislation to legalize imports of prescription drugs is gaining momentum, with some major drugstore chains, a number of state attorneys general and several insurance companies endorsing the idea.

Drug manufacturers remain adamantly opposed. But Tommy Thompson, the secretary of health and human services, said last week he thought passage of legislation to allow imports of lower-cost medicines was inevitable.

From the Telegraph (UK):
Glaxo fights on to protect pricing
Glaxo Smithkline, the UK pharmaceutical giant, said yesterday it was "disappointed" that a US court had decided to allow the Minnesota attorney general to continue an investigation into its Canadian drug supply policy.

Drug companies, including Glaxo, limit the amount of pharmaceuticals shipped to Canada, because arbitrageurs take advantage of the price difference between the two countries.

From the Duluth (Minn.) News Tribune:
Doyle adds more medications to state prescription drug site
Wisconsin's prescription drug Web site will feature 30 new medications available from Canadian pharmacies, Gov. Jim Doyle said Tuesday.

The site offers links to order forms from three Canadian pharmacies that sell prescription drugs cheaper than in the United States.

The new drugs include medication for high blood pressure, diabetes, transplant rejection prevention, asthma and breast cancer. Doyle said visitors to the site can order them at savings up to 51 percent.

From the Canadian Press:
GlaxoSmithKline ordered to give Minnesota info on limiting drugs to Canada
A Minnesota district court judge compelled GlaxoSmithKline to turn over documents to the state's attorney general regarding its policy of limiting its sales to Canada.

Attorney General Mike Hatch is investigating whether Glaxo officials conspired with other drug companies when it decided more than a year ago to restrict sales to Canada in order to stop its medicines from being resold in America. In a statement, Glaxo officials said they were disappointed in the decision and expect to appeal.

From the Lansing (Mich.) Business Journal:
Stabenow touts drug import bill
With her metal cane resting on her lap, Rose Wilson sits back and listens to a talk about legislation that promises to make her medication regimen easier and cheaper.

The 80-year-old Howell woman, who is recovering from knee replacement surgery, spends about $160 a month on Fosamax, Vicodin, Lasix and other drugs.

To pay that amount, she packs into a bus with dozens of other seniors and makes an eight-hour round trip to Canada. She could buy the drugs in Michigan, but she'd pay about 40 percent more.

From WISC-TV (WI):
Tommy Thompson Clarifies Position On Canadian Drugs
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson says he's not taking a stand on drugs from Canada.

Thompson told News 3 that he is not endorsing importing drugs from Canada. In an exclusive interview with a News 3 crew in Washington, D.C., May 5, Thompson said contrary to other reports, he will not urge the president to sign a bill allowing less expensive drugs from Canada into the United States.

From the National Post:
Ban on Canadian drugs challenged
An Oklahoma company that was shut down for helping Americans buy cheaper prescription drugs from Canada asked a federal appeals court Friday to let it resume operations.

Rx Depot Inc. also asked the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to hear oral arguments in the case because of the "significant public policy implications" for the elderly and poor.

From WFIE-TV(IN):
Support for Canadian Drug Imports Hits Groundswell
A fierce momentum began building this week to legalize the importation of prescription drugs from Canada to the United States, and even those who oppose the move now admit they may not be able to stop it.

The sea change comes in the wake of surprise remarks by the top U.S. health official earlier this week. Tommy Thompson, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said Tuesday that legislation allowing the importation of prescription drugs was inevitable.

From KAAL-TV(MN):
Minnesota might look to Brits for prescription drugs
Minnesota officials might tap British pharmacies through the same type of Web site now helping residents import cheaper drugs from two Canadian mail-order firms.

State Human Services Commissioner Kevin Goodno says pharmacies in England could be added to the Web site because some drug companies are restricting supplies to the Canadian pharmacies.

From WTVY-TV(AL):
Canadian Drugs
Pharmacy customers in Alabama may soon receive a warning about imported medicines when they get their prescriptions filled.

More than 700 Alabama pharmacies are receiving posters and fliers as part of an education campaign launched in Montgomery by American and Canadian pharmacy officials.

From the Las Vegas Business Press:
County still struggles to explain drug imports policy
Clark County seems to be clear on just one point about its policy on the licensing of storefront businesses aiding in the purchase of Canadian pharmaceuticals -- there is no policy.

According to Jacqueline R. Holloway, the director of the Clark County Business Licensing department, declining to license these businesses is "not a policy. It's a process."

From the Palm Beach (FL) Post:
CVS Chief: Import Prescription Drugs
Breaking with others in his industry, the chief executive of CVS Pharmacy called Wednesday for legalizing imports of prescription drugs. The statement by the nation's largest wholesale purchaser of prescription medicines came a day after the Bush administration's health secretary said legalizing imports appears inevitable.

Support is also growing in Congress, even among Republicans who previously opposed importation but now say constituents are clamoring for relief from soaring prescription prices.

``While many in our industry believe that the importation issue is a fundamentally flawed concept and oppose it without exception, I come with a slightly different view,'' Thomas Ryan, CVS chairman and chief executive officer, told a government task force on drug importation.

From Yahoo News:
CVS Drugstore Chain Backs Drug Imports to U.S.
The No. 2 U.S. drugstore chain on Wednesday proposed a system that would allow Americans to legally and safely purchase cheaper medicines from Canada and other nations through registered suppliers.

CVS Corp., which buys $16 billion worth of drugs and fills 400 million prescriptions each year, told a federal panel investigating importation that CVS supports a safe import system until world prices come into better balance.

From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Pawlenty prods drug task force
Gov. Tim Pawlenty beckoned an administration task force Wednesday to "light the pathway" toward federally backed reimportation of cheaper prescription drugs from Canada.

But the panel grappled with whether to focus on balancing global drug prices currently skewed sharply against U.S. consumers or creating a new system to ensure imported medicines are safe.

From the Financial Times:
Americans lured by lower prices
While Europeans are debating the dynamism of the US drugs industry, Americans are getting closer to adopting aspects of the European model.

The US already has a small amount of parallel trading in a grey legal area, mostly drugs bought from internet pharmacies based in Canada where drugs are considerably cheaper.

There are two bills before the US Senate, and a third expected soon, that would allow cheap drugs to be imported from Canada.

From SeniorJournal.com:
Alabama News Conference Supported by Canadian Group Accused of Making “Fast Cash on the Side” by Countrymen
That battle over imported drugs heated up today with a press conference in Montgomery, Alabama, to protest the city purchasing lower priced imported prescription drugs for its employees. Leading the attack is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), Alabama State Board of Pharmacy (ALBOP) Alabama Pharmacy Association (APA), and a Canadian pharmacy group that has been challenged by the national pharmacy group in their own county.

From WHBF-TV (Ill.):
Canadian Drugs: Are The Savings Worth The Risk?
There are laws against importing prescription drugs but the Food & Drug Administration says they "rarely" go after people bringing small quanitities across the U.S./Canadian border. And now, hundreds of Quad Citians are finding the savings to be well worth the risks.

In February, a group of Quad City senior citizens took a 2-day bus trip to Ontario to save on medication. The trip paid off but now you don't even have to leave the QCA to fill your prescriptions through a Canadian pharmacy.

From KELOLAND (SD):
Is It Worth the Risk?
It's been almost a month since Canada Drug opened for business in Sioux Falls. And while opponents insist businesses like it are illegal, as Jaine Andrews shows us in this evening's HealthBeat, there's been no effort to shut them down. That doesn't mean state and federal officials aren't considering it. In fact, a closed door meeting was held today in Pierre between the Attorney General's office and the state Board of Pharmacy on just that issue.

From the Canadian Press:
Former mayor in Massachusetts links his website to Canadian drug supplier
Former Springfield mayor Michael Albano, whose city was among the first municipalities to turn to Canada for cheaper prescription drugs, has added a link to a Canadian provider to his personal website.

Albano said he decided to add the link after getting hundreds of inquiries from people squeezed by high prescription drug prices and looking for a place to buy medications from Canada.

From the Boston Globe:
Thompson shifts on drug imports
Adding election-year momentum to an issue that is popular among seniors, President Bush's chief healthcare official, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, said he would recommend that Bush not stand in the way of a bill to make importing prescription drugs legal.

"I think it's coming," Thompson said at a news conference about new Medicare discount cards. "I think Congress is going to pass it."

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Thompson says drug imports 'coming'
A senior Bush administration official for the first time said Tuesday that legalizing prescription drug imports was inevitable and would save consumers money.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson, whose agency has led the opposition to imported drugs, also said he would advise President Bush not to stand in the way of legislation to make it legal for drugs to be imported from abroad.

"I think it's coming," Thompson said at a news conference devoted mainly to the new Medicare discount drug cards. "I think Congress is going to pass it."

From WHBF-TV (Ill.):
Saving Money on Canadian Drugs...In Moline?
Federal law prohibit bringing prescription drugs across the U.S./Canadian border. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is pushing to legalize the importation of medications but, in the meantime, many Americans aren't letting the law stop them from seeking savings 'up north'.

Drugs prices in the United States have gotten so high that many people will do just about anything to find a cheaper alternative. This February, some Quad City seniors took a two-day bus trip to Canada to buy medication

From KELOLAND (SD):
More Canada Drug Business
One year ago, Watertown business man, Paul Fox, opened the doors of Dakota/Canadian Discount Medical and started accessing cheaper prescription prices from north of the border. But just days later, Fox voluntarily closed those doors, bowing to pressure from the South Dakota Board of Pharmacy.

Tonight the business is back open tonight, along with a second location in Sioux Falls. What gave Fox and his nephew, Paul, the courage to re-open their doors was the opening of a similar business in Sioux Falls.

From CTV.ca:
Manitoba E-pharmacy founder fights to clear name
One of the Manitoba founders of the billion-dollar Internet pharmacy industry is fighting in court to clear his name after landing in hot water with the province's pharmaceutical regulatory body.

Andrew Strempler, whose online pharmacy RxNorth is based in Minnedosa, Man., has filed an application in Court of Queen's Bench to quash a decision by the Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association that the pharmacist was, according to the application,"guilty of unskilled practice of pharmacy and professional misconduct."

From the Orlando Sentinel:
Debate rages for Canadian medicine
For more than two years, Jean and Lee Edes have saved hundreds of dollars by ordering their prescription drugs from Canada.

But when they called their Canadian pharmacy recently to check on an order, the Mount Dora couple learned the pills had been seized at the U.S. border.

They ended up paying for the medications twice: $276 for the Canadian package that was shipped but never arrived -- and almost two times that amount to fill the prescriptions locally for drugs to treat osteoporosis, high cholesterol and a thyroid condition.

From the Daily Mississippian:
Drugs may be imported
A pharmaceutical expert who is against prescription medicine importation told a room full of future pharmacists he believes that practice will be legal before the end of the year.

Ole Miss Alumnus Robert Freeman said he thinks pressure on politicians caused by an electorate frustrated by high costs for prescription drugs will cause Congress, the Senate and President George Bush to sign a bill making drug importation from Canada legal.

From the Wilmington (NC) Star:
Drug assistance centers extend program to London pharmacy
A company that helps Americans order medication from Canada is teaming up with a British pharmacy to fill backordered prescriptions.

American Drug Club, which has franchises in New Hampshire, North Carolina and 10 other states, provides price information to customers and helps them order drugs from Canadian pharmacies. The company lists North Carolina franchises Asheville, Charlotte, Durham, Fayetteville, Goldsboro, Greensboro, Hickory, Jacksonville, Raleigh, Rocky Mount and Winston Salem. No addresses are listed and customers are asked to call the same long-distance telephone number for information.

On Monday, American Drug Club will start a new system to allow an undisclosed pharmacy in London to fill prescriptions if a medication isn't immediately available in Canada.

From the Globe and Mail:
Americans petition Senate for cheaper drugs
Elinor Shoaf has felt the pain of the Internet pharmacy industry's heightened struggle to stock the cheap drugs she and a-million other Americans have come to depend on.

Specifically, the 74-year-old from Wheeling, W.Va., felt it in her elbows, back and knees — the effects of not taking her arthritis medication for several weeks while she awaited a refill from Canada that has yet to arrive.

From the Canadian Press:
U.S. medicare Web site posts drug price comparisons for new discount card
U.S. President George W. Bush's administration is predicting that new discount drug cards will save Medicare recipients money, but critics have other advice for seniors: Go to Canada.

Prices offered by the cards are higher than those charged by Canadian pharmacies that state and local governments are beginning to link up with on behalf of their employees, retirees and residents.

From the Pawtucket (RI) Times:
Senate OKs motion to license Canadian pharmacies in R.I.
The Senate on Thursday joined the House of Representatives in giving the OK for Canadian pharmacies to be licensed in Rhode Island.

The result, backers of the bill say, will be that Rhode Islanders will soon be able to take advantage of the lower prices for prescription drugs offered by our neighbors to the north.