Canada Services has until Friday afternoon to answer lawsuit

From the Aberdeen (SD) News:
A company that set up shop in Sioux Falls about 16 months ago has been given until Friday afternoon to answer a lawsuit that says it is illegally dispensing drugs.

The South Dakota Board of Pharmacy filed the lawsuit May 31 against Canada Services, originally known as Canada Drugs. The company serves as a go-between for cheaper prescription drugs from Canada. ...more

Paying the price for treatment

From the Globe and Mail:
Avastin is a promising new drug that lengthens the lives of those with incurable colorectal cancer, the second biggest cause of cancer death in Canada.

It's also one of a slew of drugs revolutionizing cancer care and stoking a growing controversy over where -- or if -- to draw the line on funding for expensive new therapies. ...more

What sedative could be behind hospital terror?

From the Alberta Daily Herald Tribune:
More than 25 different sedative-type drugs, including the date-rape drug Rohypnol, could be the one used to terrorize fourth-floor staff at Grande Prairie's QEII hospital, says an Alberta pharmaceutical expert.

For the past 16 months, there have been more than 20 reports of staff on the floor experiencing dizziness, memory loss and having to go home and sleep for hours. Union officials have said that at least three staff members have tested positive for a drug in their system. Peace Country Health has told staff members not to share their food and drink or leave it unattended. RCMP are investigating. ...more

Beta blockers don't help low-risk patients after non-cardiac surgery: study

From the Canadian Press:
New research raises concerns about the popular practice of giving most heart patients drugs that reduce the heart's workload before and after major surgery.

Guidelines recommend giving beta blocker pills to people at high risk of heart problems if they are undergoing non-cardiac surgery. But hospitals routinely prescribe the drugs to most heart patients, even those at lower risk of complications, who are having an operation. Researchers found that low-risk patients given the drugs were significantly more likely to die. ...more

Study finds Echinacea doesn't help colds

From CTV News:
It's long been touted as an ideal drug-free way to fend off the common cold. But a new study suggests that Echinacea is better at boosting hopes than it is at boosting the immune system.

The U.S. study found that patients who take the popular herbal remedy fare no better than those who take a dummy treatment. ...more

Quebec to fund costly breast cancer drug

From CBC Montreal:
Quebec is one of three provinces which will pay for expanded use of the expensive cancer-fighting drug Herceptin.

In May, clinical trial results suggested Herceptin (Trastuzumab) in addition to traditional chemotherapy can prevent recurrence of breast cancer and improve overall survival rates from the disease. ...more

Local discount-prescription businesses diversifying as Canada warns of pull-back

From the Fort Myers (FL) News Press:
Customers worried their access to cheaper Canadian drugs might be jeopardized need not fear: the world is at their fingertips.

Canadian health officials last month announced they intend to ban the bulk export of prescription drugs when supplies are low there, sending a ripple of concern through thousands of Southwest Florida residents who rely on Canada to save them money. ...more

Health Canada advises about vision problems possibly associated with Viagra, Cialis and Levitra

From Health Canada:
Health Canada is advising individuals who use the drugs Viagra, Cialis and Levitra to consult their physicians and seek immediate medical attention if they experience sudden vision loss or vision-related problems while taking these drugs. Viagra, Cialis and Levitra are drugs used to treat impotence and erectile dysfunction in men. ...more

Important Safety Information on Concomitant Use of PAXIL or PAXIL CR and pimozide (Orap)

From Health Canada:
The concomitant use of PAXIL® or PAXIL CR™ and pimozide (Orap®) is contraindicated as paroxetine has been shown to increase plasma pimozide levels. Elevation of pimozide blood concentration may result in QT interval prolongation and severe arrhythmias including Torsade de Pointes.
...more

Senate panel endorses drug bill

From the Portland (Maine) Press Herald:
A Senate committee approved legislation Thursday to allow people to buy prescription drugs from other countries, but the prospects for the bill's ultimate passage remain uncertain.

The Senate Commerce Committee voted 13-8 to add the legislation from U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, to a bill governing the Federal Trade Commission. Snowe said the goal behind the bill is to take advantage of lower, government-limited prices in other countries. ...more

State advances its quest for Canadian drugs

From In Business Las Vegas:
The Nevada Pharmacy Board is one step closer to making Canadian drugs available to Nevadans.

Pharmacy Board lawyer Louis Ling and incoming executive director Larry Pinson visited with about 20 Canadian pharmacies in Winnipeg, Manitoba, for a few days last week.

The pharmacies are interested in selling prescription drugs to Nevadans -- at a lower rate on brand-name drugs than is available from U.S. pharmacies. Canada has mandated discounts imposed on pharmaceutical manufacturers, while the United States does not. ...more

Democrats propose bill to let Michigan residents buy cheaper drugs

From the Detroit Free Press:
State House Democrats say Michigan residents could save big on prescription drugs if the state joins a program letting them buy medicines from Canada and other countries.

Democrats planned to announce legislation Monday that would allow Michigan to get into the I-SaveRx program, which helps individuals buy about 150 brand-name drugs at a lower price because they are shipped from outside the United States. ...more

Red tape, not politics, keeps abortion pill out of Canada

From the Ottawa Citizen:
In virtually any industrialized country, women seeking to terminate pregnancies need not check into a hospital or abortion clinic. They need only take a fistful of pills and a glass of water: in every country, that is, except Canada, where RU-486, the "abortion pill," remains unavailable a quarter century after it was invented. ...more

Lawsuit alleges Eli Lilly Parkinson's drug linked to gambling

From the Globe and Mail:
A second lawsuit has been filed in Ontario that alleges a connection between gambling and a popular drug to treat Parkinson's disease.

Eli Lilly Canada Inc. of Toronto said it received a statement of claim that alleges its Permax drug causes "compulsive, obsessive behaviour, including pathological gambling."...more

Ontario myeloma patients want life-saving drug in wake of Herceptin approval

From the Canadian Press:
Many people in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Quebec are celebrating this weekend after their provincial governments approved the expensive breast cancer drug Herceptin.

But for a group of people in Ontario suffering from a type of cancer with its own fast-tracked wonder drug that didn't get funded, the announcement brought only disappointment and feelings of desperation. ...more

Two countries join drug program

From the Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star:
Gov. Rod Blagojevich's struggling I-SaveRx prescription drug program is gaining two more countries from which enrollees can order medication.

Blagojovich said Monday that Australia and New Zealand will join the program this fall. ...more

Illinois Expands I-Save-RX Program To Australia, New Zealand

From KSDK-TV (MO):
Governor Rod Blagojevich says the I-Save-RX drug import program will expand to Australia and New Zealand as a source for prescription medicine.

The expansion was announced just weeks after Canada's health minister said his country would no longer be a cheap drug store for the United States. ...more

Ontarians warned not to hoard ’flu drugs

From the Fort Frances (Ontario)Times:
Canadians confronted with the threat of a global pandemic should refrain from stockpiling antiviral drugs to avoid depleting national supplies and hurting efforts to mitigate the impact of an influenza outbreak, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health warned yesterday.

Canadians are increasingly asking their doctors for back-up doses of Tamiflu, also known as oseltamivir, a practice Dr. Sheela Basrur is trying to discourage. ...more

Health Canada issues advisory over statins

From CTV.ca:
Some patients with underlying health conditions could be at risk of serious side-effects from widely prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins, Health Canada advised Tuesday.

The medications, which include Lipitor (atorvastatin), Zocor (simvastatin), Mevacor (lovastatin), Lescol and Lescol XL (fluvastatin), Pravachol (pravastatin) and Crestor (rosuvastatin), put some patients with pre-existing medical conditions at greater risk of muscle-related problems. ...more

Prestigious award for Mountain pharmacist

From the Hamilton Mountain News:
For the past three years Hamilton pharmacist Irene Hogan has been helping women with their special health care needs.

Ms. Hogan, who operates a women's health specialty practice at the three DayNight pharmacies on the Mountain, was recently presented with the Patient Care Achievement Award for Specialty Practice at the Canadian Pharmacists Association's annual convention in Quebec City. ...more

Put ibuprofen behind counter: health panel

From CBC Nova Scotia:
The popular pain reliever ibuprofen may be moved behind the counter at pharmacies in Nova Scotia, if a panel recommendation is implemented.

The national drug review panel was formed to review the use of COX-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx, medications prescribed to relieve pain from conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis....more

Business Press

From the Las Vegas Business Press:
University Medical Center Director of Pharmacy Don Frisch thinks the poor will have a tough time using Nevada's Canadian drug importation system.

Oncologist Dr. Arnold Wax is passionate when he talks about skyrocketing drug prices in the United States. The Southern Nevada physician has seen his patients make difficult choices. Some have had to skimp on buying potentially lifesaving drugs while substituting cheaper, less-effective, alternatives in their place. ...more

The latest battle to get Herceptin

From the Globe and Mail:
As provinces prepare to fund the breakthrough breast cancer drug Herceptin, they are running into a new set of problems: too few doctors able to test and treat the thousands of women who could be saved by the drug.

Herceptin is currently available on a case-by-case basis in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec. ...more

Stanstead Pharmacy Fills Niche On Border

From the Caledonia (Vermont) Record:
Located just yards north of the Vermont border, with no Canadian competitors to speak of within 15 miles, pharmacist Diane Vaillancourt appears to have found the perfect location for what is one of Stanstead's most successful businesses.

Opened in January 2004, Pharmacie Diane Vaillancourt is a state-of-the-art 9,300-square-foot pharmacy that grew out of two smaller outfits Vaillancourt had bought up in previous years. Stanstead's next nearest pharmacies are scattered just south of the border from the neighboring village of Derby Line to the town of Newport. ...more

Canada's prescription drug rates lose luster

From the San Diego Union Tribune:
Last year, many state Democrats and consumer advocates saw Canada as the promised land for cheap prescription drugs.

So why didn't they even flinch when Canada's health minister recently announced plans to restrict the flow of drugs to the United States?

By that time, California health care advocates had already decided that Canada couldn't do much to lower drug costs in the Golden State. ...more

Expert panel recommends Vioxx return to market, issues warning on ibuprofen

From Macleans:
Ibuprofen, one of the most common painkillers on the market, poses just as much risk of heart attacks and stroke as controversial drugs like Vioxx, says an expert panel named by Health Canada.

The finding in a report Thursday is likely to surprise many people who routinely use ibuprofen, which has been marketed since the 1950s and is available without a prescription. ...more

Drug makers reformulate U.S. cold medicines that can be used to make meth

From the Canadian Press:
Under pressure from law-enforcement agencies and state governments, drug companies have begun reformulating popular U.S. cold medicines to prevent criminals from converting them into methamphetamine.

"This is the direction we're moving," said Elizabeth Assey, spokeswoman for the Consumer Healthcare Products Association in Washington, D.C., a lobbying organization for the cold medicine industry. ...more

Drug supply OK for most

From the (Augusta, Maine) Morning Sentinel:
Mainers who shop for prescription drugs in Canada have no reason to be concerned that their supply will be shut off, but a leading Canadian official's warning about drug re-importation could affect the Penobscot Nation's plan to get into the business, officials say.

They were reacting to Canadian Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh's call for legislation and initiatives to protect the supply and safety of Canadian drugs. He intends to introduce a proposal this fall to allow for a temporary bans of bulk exports when supplies are running low at home. ...more

Canadian ban may not hurt I-Save Rx

From the Bloomington (Ill.) Pantagraph:
Gov. Rod Blagojevich's highly touted I-Save Rx prescription drug program would not be affected by a proposed ban of Canada's bulk export prescription drugs to the United States, said a Blagojevich spokeswoman.

"The I-Save Rx program is one of personal importation where we link an individual to an individual pharmacy to fill an individual prescription," Rebecca Rausch said Wednesday. "What the Canadian health minister was talking about today was bulk, wholesale purchases." ...more

R.I. Health Dept. Files Canadian Drug Import Guidelines

From NBC 10 News (RI):
Canadian pharmacies can soon seek a license to sell drugs in Rhode Island under long-awaited regulations filed by the state Department of Health on Friday.

A law that legalized Canadian drug sales went into effect in January, making Rhode Island the first state in the nation to allow residents to import cheaper drugs from Canada. But the law has never been used because the state first had to develop regulations for licensing Canadian pharmacies. ...more

Cdn. has to buy cancer drug abroad

From CTV News:
For Mississauga, Ont. resident Mario Codispoti, each moment with his family is more precious than ever. Five years ago, he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer death in this country.

This January, Codispoti's doctor told him his only hope for extending life was to be treated with the drug Erbitux, which has been proven to slow tumour growth in some patients.

Trouble is, Erbitux hasn't been approved yet for use in Canada. ...more

Canada Drug Export Ban Could Change Rx Landscape in U.S.

From Forbes:
If Canada makes good on its pledge this week to restrict exports of prescription drugs, it will mean short-term headaches for U.S. consumers needing cheaper, potentially lifesaving pharmaceuticals.

In the long-term, however, such a move could force some dramatic changes in the prescription drug network, and might even prompt a political showdown in Washington, D.C., experts say. ...more

InformationWeek > E-Commerce > Canadian Drug Sales To U.S. To Continue, For Now > July 1, 2005

From InformationWeek:
The Canadian health minister's crackdown on the sale of medications to U.S. customers over the Internet is a non-starter, at least for now, as Canadian suppliers say they are still open for business.

Andy Troszok, president of a group of online medication suppliers, hailed the measures outlined in recent days by Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh, who proposed cracking down on abuses in shipments of drugs to the U.S.

"He made proposals in three areas," said Troszok, who is president of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA). "First, he wants to do something about bulk shipments." ...more

Medicare may cut appeal of I-SaveRX

From the Springfield (Ill.) State Journal Register:
The Medicare prescription-drug benefit set to begin Jan. 1 will not cover medications purchased from Canada or other countries, potentially discouraging customers from Gov. Rod Blagojevich's struggling I-SaveRx program.
Costs of drugs purchased from other countries also cannot be used toward calculating a Medicare enrollee's out-of-pocket expenses.

"The significant cost implications of seniors losing their Medicare Part D benefits should be seriously considered," said Mike Patton of the Illinois Pharmacists Association. ...more

Pawlenty: Canadian drug export ban won't affect state's program

From the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal:
A Canadian plan to ban the bulk export of prescription drugs to the United States will not affect Minnesota's prescription drug Web site, Governor Tim Pawlenty said Wednesday.

Canadian Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh said he will introduce legislation to block the export of prescription drugs. He said the law is necessary to protect the country's drug supply and safety.

But Pawlenty said the proposed legislation would not hurt the MinnesotaRxConnect.com site, which allows Minnesotans to buy drugs from Canada and England, because customers buy smaller, individual quantities instead of large, bulk orders. ...more

Canada may cut drugs to U.S.

From the (Springfield, Mass.) Republican:
Talk in Canada yesterday that the country could restrict the sale of some prescription drugs to the United States will not affect a program through which Springfield city employees, retirees and their dependents get lower-cost medications from an Ontario company, according to the firm's president and CEO.

Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh, commenting that Canada would no longer be a cheap "drugstore for the United States," said he would introduce legislation when the House of Commons reconvenes in the fall that would allow for the temporary ban of bulk exports when supplies are running low at home. Dosanjh said he must ensure Canadians continue to have access to an adequate supply of safe and affordable prescription drugs. ...more

Governor Vows To Fight For Cheaper Prescriptions

From WBBM-TV (Ill.):
Canada is preparing to ban the bulk export of medicines and to require buyers to have a prescription from a Canadian doctor. That's bad news for Illinois’ seniors. But CBS 2 political editor Mike Flannery reports the governor has a plan to make discount drugs available despite the problems with Canada.

At a pharmacy in Streeterville, we found some consumers upset about the news that Canada is moving to restrict the export of medicines. Bob Martin's reduced his prescription bill to $500 a month by using foreign sources from Mexico and Canada. ...more

Dosanjh sets rules for Internet drug sales

From the Toronto Star:
Canada plans to ban bulk exports of discount prescription drugs to the U.S. when the need arises to protect domestic supplies of medicine, says Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh.

The government is preparing legislation it hopes will provide a key weapon in fighting plans by some U.S. states to make large-scale drug purchases from Canadian pharmacies, where prices are up to 70 per cent lower. ...more

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:
...more

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

Counterfeit heart medication seized from Hamilton pharmacy by police

From the Canadian Press:
Police seized an unknown quantity of counterfeit heart medication from a local pharmacy Wednesday in what investigators say could be part of a disturbing and growing trend in medicinal counterfeiting in Canada.

The counterfeit versions of Norvasc, a heart drug, were seized from the King West Pharmacy in Hamilton and police have since identified a number of patients who unwittingly purchased the pills, investigators said in a release Thursday. ...more

Health Department Drafts Rules For Importing Canadian Drugs

From News Channel 10 (RI):
The state Department of Health 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.

Under the proposed regulations, Canadian pharmacies would be allowed to ship only drugs that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and to follow FDA rules regarding the processing and handling of drugs. They'd also need to document where the drugs were manufactured. ...more

McKenna says U.S. can't look to Canada to solve its prescription drug problem

From the Canadian Press:
The United States would be making a mistake to expect Canada to solve America's problems of providing low-cost prescription drugs for U.S. consumers, Canada's ambassador to the country said Monday in an interview with The Associated Press.

Frank McKenna said that the Canadian government felt caught in the middle in the current debate in Washington over whether to expand the ability import prescription drugs from Canada, where they sell for less than in the United States. ...more

Internet pharmacies see consolidation as solution for industry, Canadians

From CBC News:
The political uncertainty surrounding Canada's Internet pharmacy industry has spawned some practical business realities in the last six months - fewer players, zero growth and, in some cases, no actual drug dispensing.

But even as the industry watches overseas pharmacies and suppliers carve out a bigger piece of a growing global market for cheaper prescription drugs for U.S. patients, it remains determined to survive in some form.

Just as determined, however, are opponents who see a federal crackdown as the only protection against potential drug shortages and price increases in Canada. ...more

Texans may get to buy prescription drugs from Canada

From News 8 Austin (Tex.):
An estimated 1 million Americans buy their prescription drugs online from Canadian pharmacies.

A handful of state governments are helping consumers make those purchases and Texas could be next.

Luke Metzger with the Texas Public Interest Research Group said consumers are turning to our northern neighbor for a simple reason. ...more

Report: U.S. drug pricing critic is exiled on job at Pfizer

From CNN:
A critic of the drug industry's pricing policy is facing virtual corporate exile at Pfizer, according to a published report.

Peter Rost, a vice president for marketing at Pfizer, the world's largest drug company, appeared on the CBS show "60 Minutes" Sunday to criticize U.S. drug prices compared with prices in Canada and countries in Europe.

The New York Times said that his corporate e-mail and cell phone accounts were shut off on Monday.

"This is like being in some kind of corporate twilight zone," Rost told the paper Tuesday. "I guess everybody's waiting for me to get fired." ...more

Ottawa gathering ideas on best way to disclose results of drug-testing trials

From the Canadian Press:
Next week, the federal Health Ministry will begin gathering input on how to create a registry of clinical trials that test new drugs and on the best way to disclose the results to Canadians.

Clinical trials are studies that provide scientific evidence of a drug's quality, safety and efficacy in humans. They consider such questions as whether a drug is safe, what dosages are most effective and what side effects a drug may cause. ...more

Total drug costs higher in Canada than most industrial countries: report

From the Canadian Press:
Canada spends more of its health budget on drugs than almost every other industrialized country, says a new report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

And Canada was below average in the number of doctors, MRIs and CT scanners available.

Only the United States and France spent more per person on pharmaceuticals in 2003, the report said. ...more

New shot fired in Net drug battle

From the Globe and Mail:
Alberta as South Africa, Quebec as India and Manitoba as Vietnam?

That's the way drug maker GlaxoSmithKline depicts the map of Canada in an edgy new magazine ad aimed at dissuading millions of Americans from ordering cheap drugs from Internet pharmacies.

"Are you buying medicine from north of the border or east of the border?," the company asks in the ad now running in Time and Newsweek, as well as major U.S. daily newspapers. ...more

Minnesota adds access to British pharmacies

From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Minnesotans now can order prescription drugs from Britain as well as Canada through the state's Internet drug program, Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Thursday.

He said he expanded the program to ensure that Minnesotans will have access to low-cost drugs if pharmaceutical companies or the Canadian government choke off the Canadian mail-order trade. ...more

New rules govern drug sales

From CBC Prince Edward Island:
After a decade of wrangling, the province has adopted national drug guidelines that may see you asking the pharmacist for medication you used to buy off the shelf.

There are three categories (called schedules) of drugs in Canada. And with the new guidelines all Island pharmacies will now be subject to rules covering the way they sell them. ...more

Berea grandmother's imported prescription seized

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Adele Howard bought prescription drugs from a Canadian pharmacy for three years without a single glitch until her medicine didn't show up three weeks ago.

Instead, the 78-year-old Berea grandmother got a letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, whose inspectors had seized the package at a Chicago mail facility.

And they gave her 20 days to explain why the government should not send it back. ...more

New cancer drug limited to few

From the Globe and Mail:
A breakthrough breast-cancer drug is available in Canada, but not to thousands of women whose lives could likely be saved by it.

The drug trastuzumab, sold under the name Herceptin, is covered by provincial health plans when used to lengthen the lives of those with incurable breast cancer, but not for women in the earlier stages of the disease who see it as the next best thing to a cure. ...more

Health Canada warns consumers not to use growth hormone supplement

From the Canadian Press:
Health Canada issued a warning to consumers Tuesday not to use a product labeled GHR-15 or GHR that is sold as a treatment for a wide variety of diseases including cancer and multiple sclerosis.

The department said labelling for the product - purported to be a human growth hormone supplement - makes unsubstantiated health claims. It suggested users risk developing hyperthyroidism as well as possible interactions and allergic reactions by taking the product. ...more

Nevada governor to sign bill allowing Internet purchase of Canadian drugs

From the Canadian Press:
Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn said Tuesday he will sign a politically charged bill to allow state residents to use the Internet to buy prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies.

Nevada joins eight other states in offering residents access to pharmacies in Canada, which sell prescription drugs at lower costs than in the United States. "I said I was going to sign it unless I find something wrong with it," Guinn said after adjournment of a special session during which legislator authorized the prescription drug plan. ...more

Pharmacy has bigger health plans

From the London (Ont.) Free Press:
A large new pharmacy-medical centre on Wonderland Road is being promoted as a future model for delivering health-care service and products.

The London Care Centre is a 30,000-square-foot facility that combines a Rexall Pharma Plus pharmacy with a medical centre that will include six physicians and an urgent care clinic as well as dentists, physiotherapists, audiologists and laboratory services. ...more

Drug bill may win OK today

From the Las Vegas Review Journal:
A bill to help Nevadans buy lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada is expected to win final approval today.

A Senate-Assembly conference committee reached an agreement Saturday to remove a Senate-backed amendment that would have required federal approval of the plan.

Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, contended that the amendment would kill the bill because the federal government opposes importing Canadian drugs and will never give its consent. ...more

Nevada Canadian drugs bill will go to conference committee

From the Las Vegas Sun:
The Nevada Senate refused Friday to remove an amendment from a bill that would allow Nevadans to buy lower-priced prescription drugs from Canada through a state-run Web site.

The Senate's refusal will send AB195 to a conference committee, where senators and Assembly members will try to work out their differences. If they don't, the bill will die. And even if the measure survives, it's possible Gov. Kenny Guinn could veto it because of his concerns about its legality. ...more

Ban Urged on Canadian Bulk Drug Exports

From the Washington Post:
Canada's parliamentary health committee, nervously eyeing U.S. legislative moves to buy cheap Canadian drugs, has called for a ban on the bulk exports of foreign-made pharmaceuticals.

A Conservative motion passed Thursday afternoon with the support of three of Parliament's four parties, including the governing Liberal Party. It would curb bulk drug exports only and would not ban sales to individuals by Internet pharmacies. ...more

Official: Proposed regulations may hamstring licensing process for Canadian pharmacies

From the Pawtucket (RI) Times:
If new regulations proposed for licensing pharmacies from Canada to sell drugs in Rhode Island are approved, a top Health Department official said Wednesday, "I would be very surprised to see anyone from Canada get licensed.

"That is not our intent," Don Williams, associate director for health services regulation, was quick to add, but that may nonetheless be the result. ...more

Pharmacist humbled by award

From the Thunder Bay (Ont.) Chronicle Journal:
Janet McCutchon is simply “outstanding,” and there’s a plaque to prove it.

The 43-year-old Thunder Bay woman has been declared Pharmacist of the Year by the Ontario Pharmacists’ Association for outstanding service to her profession.

She is the first person from Thunder Bay to receive the award, which has been given out since the late 1960s. Seven other nominees were considered. ...more

Lawsuit filed against Canada drug company

From the Aberdeen (SD) News:
The South Dakota Board of Pharmacy has sued a Sioux Falls store that helps people buy prescription drugs imported from Canada on grounds it is not licensed to do business in the state.

The board filed the complaint on Tuesday against Canada Services, formerly known as Canada Drug.

The lawsuit marks the second against the company in four months. In February, Jewett Drug Co. Inc., which sells medications to South Dakota pharmacies, sued the company. ...more

State wades into Canadian prescription controversy

From the Reno (Nev.) Gazette Journal:
As a former Plattsburgh, N.Y. resident who lived just 16 miles from Canada, Lynda Bevins still remembers when people from nearby Vermont started crossing the border by the busload to buy their prescription drugs.

“Bernie Sanders, the congressman from Vermont, actually arranged to have busloads of seniors trucked across the border,” said Bevins, who moved to Reno last September. “There was a lot of controversy about that.”...more

Drug bill sent to governor

From the Fort Worth (Tex.) Star Telegraph:
A bill that would set up a state-run Web site to help Texans buy cheaper prescription drugs from Canada is headed to Gov. Rick Perry's desk.

The Senate approved the bill on an unanimous recorded vote Sunday. The bill would allow the Texas State Board of Pharmacy to create a Web site listing approved Canadian prescription drug distributors.

The pharmacy board would be required to inspect up to 10 Canadian pharmacies and make sure they meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Texas and Canada standards as well as safe-shipping codes. Information about the pharmacies and how to order prescription drugs would be listed on the board's Web site. ...more

State Senate guts bill to let Nevadans buy Canadian drugs

From the Las Vegas Sun:
The Nevada Senate voted early Saturday for a bill let Nevadans buy low-priced prescription drugs from Canada online - after gutting it so that a state-run Web site linked to approved pharmacies probably wouldn't get off the ground.

AB195, chiefly sponsored by Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, would have Nevada join eight other states that allow such purchases. Under the bill, the state would inspect and license Canadian pharmacies and set up the Web site. ...more

221 House members push for vote on drug importation bill

From the St. Petersburg (FL) Times:
A majority of House members want to consider allowing Americans to import lower-cost prescription drugs from other countries despite fierce opposition from President Bush, the Food and Drug Administration and drugmakers.

The 221 Republicans and Democrats on Thursday sent a letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, asking him to schedule a vote on a drug importation bill. ...more

Natives plan to resell Canadian drugs in U.S.

From The Globe and Mail:
Some U.S. native tribes are exploring ways to use their sovereign status to import and resell Canadian prescription drugs, amid warnings from Washington that such shipments will be seized.

At least two Minnesota tribes, Red Lake Nation and White Earth, are working on plans to buy drugs in bulk from Canadian pharmacies despite a federal ban on imported drugs. ...more

Canadian drug bill may face roadblock

From the Houston Chronicle:
Legislation that would help Texans buy less expensive prescription drugs from Canada faces an uncertain future in the Senate.

Although the House voted overwhelmingly to add the provision to a sunset bill reauthorizing the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, the Senate sponsor of the pharmacy measure said Monday he doesn't know if he will accept the change. ...more

Rudy Giuliani defends report that says Canadian drugs pose threat

From the Canadian Press:
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani on Thursday defended his report that suggests prescription drug imports into the United States, including those from Canada, pose a threat to Americans.

The April report, commissioned by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to conduct a threat assessment of drug imports. "Whatever small percentage that comes through Canada that isn't examined creates a risk and a problem," Giuliani said at a speaking event in Toronto. ...more

Adverse drug reaction database goes online

From CBC News:
Health Canada has made its database of adverse drug reactions available to Canadians in a searchable online format, Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh announced in a release on Wednesday.

The move comes 15 months after CBC News made a version of the database available online, following a five-year struggle with Health Canada to obtain the information in database format under Canada's federal Access to Information Act. ...more

Weaning women off antidepressants in late pregnancy unwarranted risk: experts

From the Canadian Press:
Weaning women off antidepressants known as selective seratonin reuptake inhibitors in the final trimester of pregnancy to protect their babies can be an unwarranted and dangerous practice, experts suggest in a commentary published in a medical journal Tuesday.

The authors, led by the director of The Hospital for Sick Children's Motherisk program, said withdrawal of the medication can put the mental health of mothers at serious risk - potentially jeopardizing their babies in the process. ...more

Risk of side effects from cholesterol drug Crestor higher than believed: study

From the Canadian Press:
Contrary to government claims, side effects happen more often with Crestor, a cholesterol-lowering drug that consumer advocates tried to get off the market earlier this year, a new analysis shows.

The review of leading cholesterol drugs taken by millions of Americans showed that most are very safe and that the risk of serious problems, even with Crestor, are very low. But the latest research seemed to challenge a Food and Drug Administration decision not to pull the drug off the market. ...more

Business finds Meds For You

From the Green Bay (Wisc.) Press-Gazette:
Canadian Meds For You is up and running at 2131 S. Webster Ave., Suite 203.

Leo Loeb of Bellevue and partner Jeff Fibus of Atlanta also own another branch in Atlanta.

Canadian Meds for You isn’t a pharmacy but has access to pharmacies in the United States and Canada.

Loeb says he can shop around for the best possible prices on common maintenance medications.

All that’s needed is a valid prescription from a doctor. ...more

Panel approves prescription drug bill by deadline

From the Las Vegas Review Journal:
Hours before a deadline for action, a Senate panel voted in favor of a bill to help Nevadans buy lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada.

Approval of the Canadian drug importation bill by a 6-1 vote came after Sen. Joe Heck, R-Henderson, won support for an amendment requiring drugs shipped to Nevadans meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards. ...more

Three Canadian drug firms eyed

From the Boston Globe:
Haverhill may join a growing number of Massachusetts communities that have turned to Canada for cheaper prescription drugs for their municipal employees.

Mayor James J. Fiorentini said he expects to choose one of three companies to provide municipal workers with prescription drugs from Canada -- a move he expects will save the city about $200,000 a year. ...more

Texas passes bill allowing purchase of prescription drugs from Canada

From the Canadian Press:
Texans could buy cheaper prescription drugs from Canada under a bill tentatively approved in the state House of Representatives on Sunday.

"This would provide the safety and the cost savings" for Texas consumers, said Democratic Representative Scott Hochberg who sponsored a measure that would allow the Texas State Board of Pharmacy to create a website listing approved Canadian prescription drug distributors. ...more

Bill lets Nevadans buy Canadian drugs online

From the Las Vegas Sun:
A state Senate panel voted Friday for a bill to have Nevada join eight other states in allowing residents to buy lower-priced prescription drugs from Canada online.

AB195, chiefly sponsored by Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, and passed by the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, would direct the state to inspect and license Canadian pharmacies and set up a Web site for Nevadans. ...more

Health Canada seeks public input on arthritis drugs

From the Globe and Mail:
For two days next month, Health Canada will open up to the public its discussion on the safety of cox-2 painkillers.

Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh is to announce today that the federal department will host a public forum in Ottawa on June 9 and 10 on the safety of cox-2 drugs, the popular anti-inflammatory medications now tied to heart risks. ...more

Dosanjh mulling ban on bulk drug exports to U.S.

From CTV.ca:
In order to avert a potential drug shortage in Canada, federal Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh said Tuesday that he's considering prohibiting bulk medicine exports south of the border.

"We will certainly look at the possibility of bulk exports to the United States and see if they can be banned," the minister said in an interview with The Canadian Press on Tuesday. ...more

Pharmacists shun suspect prescriptions

From CBC News:
Some St. John's pharmacists are taking action to prevent abuse of OxyContin, with a few going so far as to refuse filling prescriptions written by physicians they don't trust.

Pharmacist Brian Healey says strangers bearing prescriptions don't get very far at his Casey Street pharmacy.

"If we have a prescription for OxyContin, and we don't know the patient, then we just won't fill it. I just refuse to fill it," Healey says. ...more

Drug company stockholders reject Minnesota resolution on Canadian pharmacies

From the Canadian Press:
Shareholders at three of the United States' biggest drugmakers have voted down a Minnesota state-sponsored resolution urging them to keep supplies flowing to Canadian pharmacies that cater to American customers.

But the Minnesota Board of Investment's resolution garnered significantly more support than shareholder-sponsored moves usually do. At Pfizer Inc.'s shareholder meeting last Thursday, 28 per cent voted to examine the company's policy of restricting Canadian inventories. ...more

Washington state governor to press for drug imports

From Reuters:
Aiming to cut Washington state's health-care costs, Gov. Christine Gregoire will lobby federal officials and lawmakers to allow imports of prescription drugs, her spokeswoman said on Friday.

Gregoire signed a state bill into law on Thursday that would allow retail pharmacies in the state to import prescription drugs from wholesalers in Canada as well as the United Kingdom and Ireland, but for the state law to take effect, the federal government must first lift its ban on pharmaceutical imports. ...more