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Consumers Confused About Canadian Drugs

Posting Date: 07/11/2005

Many Americans suffer sticker shock when they buy medicine at their local drugstore. They would like to save money by purchasing prescription drugs from Canada. But they are bewildered by contradictory messages about Canadian pharmacies.

States are also having a hard time balancing their budgets due to skyrocketing drug costs for employees and retirees. To ease the burden, several states have set up Web sites to help citizens order prescription medicines from approved Canadian online pharmacies. Prices of brand name prescriptions are often significantly lower north of the border.

The FDA is furious. It is illegal to import drugs although the agency rarely enforces this law. The FDA also argues that Americans buying drugs abroad could get substandard medicines.

The feds have warned governors like Rick Perry of Texas that encouraging residents to buy Canadian drugs will endanger their health. State lawmakers respond, ?what?s more unsafe: Taking a drug from Canada or not taking your medication because you cannot afford it??

To confuse matters more, Canada?s Health Minister, Ujjal Dosanjh, made headlines when he announced that Canada will no longer be the ?drug store for the United States.? He plans to ban bulk drug exports to America.

Headlines make it seem as if this maneuver will shut down the online, cross-border trade in prescription medicine. But consumers don?t buy in bulk. The proposed ban shouldn?t affect individuals trying to save money on their own medications.

The pharmaceutical industry has also weighed in on this controversy. Several companies have cut off supplies to Canadian drug stores that sell prescription medicines to Americans.

The crux of the argument is that Canada is a source of counterfeit drugs. The pharmaceutical industry maintains that importation represents a safety risk.