Canada May Slam Door on Prescription Drug Sales to Americans

[LiviaOlivia]

Canada May Slam Door on Prescription Drug Sales to Americans
By KEVIN DIAZ
McClatchy Newspapers
Jan 1, 2005

The door might soon close on Internet and mail-order sales of low-cost prescription drugs from Canada. A group of Canadian pharmacists and other advocates of legal drug importation warned Thursday that the Canadian government plans to crack down on Canadian mail-order pharmacies that sell medicines to an estimated 2 million Americans.

<snip>

Meanwhile, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican who has championed a state Web site directing people to approved Canadian pharmacies, is drafting a protest letter to the Canadian government. In a statement Wednesday, Pawlenty said, "The Canadian government should not slam the door on American consumers seeking more affordable prescription medicines from safe Canadian pharmacies."

Canadian law requires that prescriptions be signed by Canadian doctors. In the past month, Canadian Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh has said publicly that he considers it unethical for Canadian doctors to co-sign prescriptions for American patients they have not examined. Under new rules that could be taken up by the Canadian Cabinet as soon as Jan. 11, Martin's administration could criminalize the practice, effectively ending the $850 million-a-year cross-border trade.

"We're very confused," said Andy Troszok, president of Extended Care Pharmacy, a mail-order pharmacy in Calgary, Alberta. "The federal government has allowed this business to start and flourish for the last five years. There's been no issue of safety. "We can only think of one thing," added Troszok, who also serves as president of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association. "This is politically motivated. There has been a deal between our federal government and the U.S. federal government." Troszok said he suspects that the Canadian government has quietly won U.S. trade concessions on Canadian beef and lumber in exchange for shutting down the mail-order drug industry, which employs thousands of Canadians, particularly in Manitoba.

<snip>

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/printer_5931.shtml

[gmoney]

1. And happy freakin' New Year to you, too...

Bummer... :(

[MichiganVote]

2. Way to go George Bush, bunch of old people out in the cold

for the sake of a bunch of overpriced corporate call girls in need of new private jets, cars, homes, jewels..whatever. Disgusting.

[Vanje]

4. Its not all OLD people either

Its even ME!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. "There has been a deal between our federal government

and the U.S. federal government." Do ya think? ShrubCo would do anything necessary to keep the big drug companies happy, and if it involved making some back-door deal -- well, so what if a bunch of old people can't get affordable medicine? The effort to kill Social Security pretty much proves that the official position of the federal government will be to take the elderly poor and set them adrift on an ice floe, anyhow.

[makhno]

5. Good

Americans need to start facing the consequences of their political choices.

[Piperay]

8. I agree

that and some other things are like the valve on a pressure cooker that helped to take the steam out...let the steam built up and eventually some of this is going to blow up on chimp. :nuke:

[HereSince1628]

9. Not that I hope you're sick, but you sound like someone that isn't

in need of expensive medication to be healthy.

When I view this in my personal domain it's pretty damned easy for me, who hasn't been to a physician in more than a decade, and hasn't had a prescription in very much longer, to dismiss the expense of medications to people with chronic illness and very expensive treatments.

It'd be great to have American face the consequences, but take it from me, the sick are not a majority. They ARE facing it.

[pleiku52cab]

6. Boost to tourism - go to Canada and see a doctor

Seriously folks, I've been reading that the Canadian Government is worried about the supply for their own citizens. Gotta take care of the home front first. At least those who live near the border can still easily be supplied.
Another thing is that we allowed ourselves to get into our current mess. It hardly seems equitable to ask someone to bail us out. The problem is here and the solution must be made here.
Lastly, I think the Canadians are becoming afraid of our pharmaceutical companies. They supply their drugs and could put the squeeze on them at any given moment. Cut sales and raise prices to them.

[iamtechus]

7. Mexican Drugs

Many popular drugs are available without a prescription from Mexican
pharmacies and the prices tend to be lower than in Canada.

http://www.sharpmeds.com/newscripts/SearchPrices.asp

[d_b]

10. Our seniors shouldn't have to go to Canada.

[tanyev]

11. While I don't begrudge anyone currently

getting drugs from a Canadian pharmacy, it is simply not the solution to this country's escalating drug costs. There are not enough drugs in Canada to supply all of the Americans who need prescription drugs. They have been kind enough to allow many Americans to buy from them, but it is really not their problem. They do need to take care of their own citizens first.

I don't even know where to begin expressing my anger at Gov. Pawlenty's statement. "The Canadian government should not slam the door on American consumers seeking more affordable prescription medicines from safe Canadian pharmacies." If Gov. Pawlenty is so worried about affordable prescription medicines, maybe he and all his Republican friends should have some serious discussions with their good buddies in the pharmaceutical industry. The Republicans speak with such disdain about the "socialized" medicine in Canada, but they want that system to solve our prescription drug problems? Unbelievable. Hypocrites.

[zann725]

12. Yep, that was the purpose I'll bet of Shrub's recent trip there.

What an evil man.

[Spazito]

13. It was only a matter of time before this would happen, imo...

at best, buying drugs from Canada at a lower cost than is available in the US is only a band-aid solution to a major crisis, imo. Until the pharmaceutical lobbyists can no longer own the politicians, the situation will never be resolved. Until those same governors, that are wanting to purchase cheaper drugs from Canada for their constituents, start fighting the real enemy, the pharmaceuticals, I can see no solution.

For the poor and the seniors, I feel very bad that we seem to be closing the door on them, I wish this had never gotten to this stage.

[Virginia Dem]

15. problem is

Canada subsidizes it's prescription drug costs I believe?

We are getting cheap drugs by having Canadian citizens pay some of the cost.

Guess I'd be pissed too if I was Canadian.

[David__77]

14. If I were in Canadian government...

...I would levy a big tax on sales to foreigners, without banning them. I would not want Americans weakening the price advantage of Canadian sales.

[Jack_DeLeon]

16. Well there is always Mexico...

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.