Canada considers restricting the flow of prescription drugs to the U.S.

The Canadian government is considering regulations that would restrict the flow of prescription drugs to American consumers - a potential move that is drawing fire on both sides of the border.

Canada is looking at three options regarding the way it regulates internet pharmacies, according to a Canadian health official. Action on the issue is likely within the next two months, said Ken Polk, spokesman for Canada Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh. The proposals include revising the Canada Food & Drugs Act to make it illegal for doctors to sign prescriptions for patients they haven't examined; prohibiting doctors from signing prescriptions for patients who are not physically present in Canada; and/or establishing a list of drugs that could be prohibited for export.

The purpose of the three proposals is to establish a regulatory framework, whereby Canadians can be reassured that internet pharmacy business is being done ethically, and that Canadians can be reassured that they will have access to adequate supplies of safe and affordable medicines.

The government's intention is not to shut down the internet pharmacy industry, he added. But a trade group representing Canadian mail-order pharmacies contends such a move would effectively kill the industry. The Canadian International Pharmacy Association issued a public statement recently warning that regulations being drafted by Dosanjh would make mail-order drug importation illegal in the country.

U.S. generics cheaper than Canada drugs

Americans who buy drugs in Canada in hopes of saving money could pay significantly more for certain medicines than if they had purchased generic versions at home, according to new research by the Food and Drug Administration.Canadian price controls mean that brand-name drugs there can cost as little as half the U.S. price. Those potential savings are enticing increasingly more people to import drugs from Canada even though the practice is illegal and the FDA calls it unsafe.

FDA alerts U.S. residents to the recent recall of certain GlaxoSmithKline "Diskus" medicines sold in Canada to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Eli Lilly is latest firm to limit drug sales to Canada

In the latest effort to stop the reimportation of drugs to the U.S., Eli Lilly last week announced it will limit drug sales to Canadian wholesalers, providing only enough inventory to supply the Canadian market. The move aims to protect the integrity and safety of Lilly's products, said Lilly spokesman Rob Smith. "Over the past several months, Lilly has seen a steady increase in the illegal importation, not only of Lilly products, but of other pharmaceutical company products from Canada," he said. "The safety issue is a key driver" of the move. Lilly's initiative follows similar efforts by GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and others who seek to stem the growing reimportation trade.

U.S. and Canada to share data on Web drug sales

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Canada's health ministry agreed to share information on Internet pharmaceutical sales -- a move the FDA hopes will help it crack down on Canadian pharmacies shipping prescription drugs to the U.S.

The FDA's memorandum of understanding with Health Canada begins to formalize a months-old process of cooperation between U.S. and Canadian health watchdogs aimed at curbing pharmaceuticals sales and marketing practices that are illegal on both sides of the border.

Source: RefillPill.com Editors' Choice