Senate Approves Allowing Canadian Drugs
SuzannePjam
Posts: 411
I love the part in this article where it mentions that Republican leaders were vociferously opposed to the plan because it might present a terrorist risk because a "creative" terrorist might try to disguise anthrax as a drug. Why is it always a "terror risk" when the republicans don't like a bill? I'm sure it's more of a "lobbyist risk" because many republicans received large donations from the drug companies who wanted to keep this from happening.
Senate approves allowing Canadian drugs
Measure will have a tough time clearing full Congress, White House
WASHINGTON - The Senate opened the way Tuesday to let Americans import prescription drugs into the United States from Canada, seeking to ease a regulatory ban on cheaper medicine crossing the border.
The proposal, which was approved 68-32, would create a Canadian loophole on a Food and Drug Administration ban on importing prescription medicine into the United States. It was offered as part of a $31.7 billion Homeland Security Department spending blueprint for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
The department's Customs and Border Protection bureau began aggressively seizing Tamiflu, Viagra and other incoming prescription medications at borders in November. Prescription drugs - even those manufactured in the United States - are generally sold at cheaper prices in Canada.
"We should demand that (Customs and Border Protection) focus on the true priority that we face on the war on terror," said Sen. David Vitter, R-La., of efforts to secure U.S. borders. "Stripping small amounts of prescription drugs from the hands of seniors .... that should not be a priority."
Vitter's plan, which was embraced by Democrats, specifically would prohibit Customs and Border Protection from stopping people with doctors' prescriptions for FDA-approved drugs from bringing the medicine into this country from Canada.
Safety concerns
But Republican leaders vociferously opposed the plan for fear, they said, the drugs could be unsafe for consumers - or even present a terror risk.
Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., said the proposal was an attempt to push the FDA into reversing itself while "creating a massive hole on our capacity to secure our borders and protect ourselves."
"If I were a creative terrorist, I would say to myself, 'Hey, listen, all I've got to do is produce a can here that says 'Lipitor' on it, make it look like the original Lipitor bottle, which isn't too hard to do, fill it with anthrax," Gregg said. Lipitor is a cholesterol-lowering drug.
Aides warned that the drug import plan was likely to be stripped out of the legislation - as it has been in past years - whenever it got to a conference of House and Senate lawmakers who will negotiate the final version. The administration also has opposed efforts to loosen the restrictions.
House measures pending
Two House spending bills this year - to fund the Homeland Security and Agriculture departments in 2007 - include the drug importation plan, said Kirstin Brost, spokeswoman for Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.
The House has approved efforts to import drugs in six spending bills over the last seven years, Brost said, but the idea has survived a conference committee only once. That year, 2000, the plan was eventually dropped because it was written in a way that couldn't be carried out, Brost said.
While importing drugs into the United States is illegal, the FDA generally has not stopped small amounts purchased for personal use. Still, the FDA says it cannot guarantee the safety of imported drugs.
Enhanced enforcement
Customs and Border Protection began seizing controlled substances in September 2004, and expanded that operation last November to include non-controlled substances. The Bush administration has opposed efforts to loosen the restrictions.
As of March, Customs officials had seized nearly 13,000 packages of drugs coming into the country, although the medications' origins were not known, according to data provided by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.
"This is going to ensure that Americans, especially the frail, elderly, or those with debilitating conditions, are going to be able to at least have a chance of affording the medications that they need," Nelson said.
Senate approves allowing Canadian drugs
Measure will have a tough time clearing full Congress, White House
WASHINGTON - The Senate opened the way Tuesday to let Americans import prescription drugs into the United States from Canada, seeking to ease a regulatory ban on cheaper medicine crossing the border.
The proposal, which was approved 68-32, would create a Canadian loophole on a Food and Drug Administration ban on importing prescription medicine into the United States. It was offered as part of a $31.7 billion Homeland Security Department spending blueprint for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
The department's Customs and Border Protection bureau began aggressively seizing Tamiflu, Viagra and other incoming prescription medications at borders in November. Prescription drugs - even those manufactured in the United States - are generally sold at cheaper prices in Canada.
"We should demand that (Customs and Border Protection) focus on the true priority that we face on the war on terror," said Sen. David Vitter, R-La., of efforts to secure U.S. borders. "Stripping small amounts of prescription drugs from the hands of seniors .... that should not be a priority."
Vitter's plan, which was embraced by Democrats, specifically would prohibit Customs and Border Protection from stopping people with doctors' prescriptions for FDA-approved drugs from bringing the medicine into this country from Canada.
Safety concerns
But Republican leaders vociferously opposed the plan for fear, they said, the drugs could be unsafe for consumers - or even present a terror risk.
Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., said the proposal was an attempt to push the FDA into reversing itself while "creating a massive hole on our capacity to secure our borders and protect ourselves."
"If I were a creative terrorist, I would say to myself, 'Hey, listen, all I've got to do is produce a can here that says 'Lipitor' on it, make it look like the original Lipitor bottle, which isn't too hard to do, fill it with anthrax," Gregg said. Lipitor is a cholesterol-lowering drug.
Aides warned that the drug import plan was likely to be stripped out of the legislation - as it has been in past years - whenever it got to a conference of House and Senate lawmakers who will negotiate the final version. The administration also has opposed efforts to loosen the restrictions.
House measures pending
Two House spending bills this year - to fund the Homeland Security and Agriculture departments in 2007 - include the drug importation plan, said Kirstin Brost, spokeswoman for Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.
The House has approved efforts to import drugs in six spending bills over the last seven years, Brost said, but the idea has survived a conference committee only once. That year, 2000, the plan was eventually dropped because it was written in a way that couldn't be carried out, Brost said.
While importing drugs into the United States is illegal, the FDA generally has not stopped small amounts purchased for personal use. Still, the FDA says it cannot guarantee the safety of imported drugs.
Enhanced enforcement
Customs and Border Protection began seizing controlled substances in September 2004, and expanded that operation last November to include non-controlled substances. The Bush administration has opposed efforts to loosen the restrictions.
As of March, Customs officials had seized nearly 13,000 packages of drugs coming into the country, although the medications' origins were not known, according to data provided by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.
"This is going to ensure that Americans, especially the frail, elderly, or those with debilitating conditions, are going to be able to at least have a chance of affording the medications that they need," Nelson said.
"Where there is sacrifice there is someone collecting the sacrificial offerings."-- Ayn Rand
"Some of my friends sit around every evening and they worry about the times ahead,
But everybody else is overwhelmed by indifference and the promise of an early bed..."-- Elvis Costello
"Some of my friends sit around every evening and they worry about the times ahead,
But everybody else is overwhelmed by indifference and the promise of an early bed..."-- Elvis Costello
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OKay that makes sense somewhat now...although people here aren't dying because of this...well at least to my knowledge that is....
thank you.
when i first came to the board years ago there was a thread about the US shipping thousands of defective condoms to africa. the jist being that the US ships it's rejects to other countries.
the case i described may well be the only case. i don't know. there was another case in phoenix where a man used mexican drugs where the mexican drug contained more medication than noted and the man died from an overdose. not an OD as we think of it. the extra medication caused a higher blood level causing respitory failure i believe. in any event; most medications are not subject to this small discrempency in dosage. these are rare cases. i'm sure you have drugs made by; lets say TEVA. they make generic zantac. or better yet; they DISTRIBUTE generic zantac. when a drug falls outside of quality specifications; yet falls within the federal guidelines; it's distributed as a generic. when it falls outside of federal guidelines for distribution within the US; it is sold to countries with more laxed regulations.
i'm curious now as to how many of these cheaper medications were produced in the US. and if canadian (or any other countries) drugs will now cause the US regulations to become more laxed. if this happens the price for these drugs will go up in canada because the companies can now sell within the US; subsequently; the supply to canada will be much less; causing less availability to canadians.
i'm just shooting out ideas but it seems to follow logic.
'If my fuckin' ex-wife told me to take care of her dog while her and her new boyfriend went to Honolulu, I'd tell her to go fuck herself." -The Dude
Whisky Drinker, Non-Hunter from Denver.