Safe Drug Imports Would Be Difficult --US Study

[CountAllVotes]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Importing cheaper prescription medicines would require costly safety measures and save U.S. consumers little money, a government task force said on Tuesday in a report that lawmakers and others criticized as echoing drug industry scare tactics.

The long-awaited report to Congress did not say whether importation should be legal, but said any legislation to allow it must ensure imports meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) standards.

Surgeon General Richard Carmona, a member of the task force, said it was up to Congress to decide if importation was worthwhile.

"If Congress is willing to consider importation from Canada, then it must be specifically regulated much like FDA (news - web sites) regulates the American movement of pharmaceuticals," Carmona told reporters on a conference call.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041221/hl_nm/health_imports_dc&e=4&ncid=

Seems like they'd should worry about the safety of what is being sold here in the USA now!

[w4rma]

1. They're trying to suck the last pennies from the average American. (nt)

[leftchick]

2. bs

bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs

[msgadget]

3. It's so simple, yet no one says it: regulate the pharmaceutical

giants. There's more than one industry lobbyist for every politician in Washington.

[girl gone mad]

4. Is anyone surprised?

Importation of drugs is only safe when it's done by corporations charging a 400% price hike.

[AZCat]

5. Richard Carmona spoke at my graduation

It's just my opinion (so take it for what it's worth) but the man sounded like an idiot. I question any report that has his fingerprints.

[prolesunited]

6. How come we never hear all these horror stories

about people in Canada and Europe dying from unsafe drugs?

[happynewyear]

7. the FDA needs to look at themselves

Here these people are so judgmental, etc. Absolutely disgusting IMO! It's all about another way to grab a dollar while one is still left.

:kick:

[brook]

8. Not to worry....

the heroin and the cocaine are okay.

Too bad we can't get our Aleve from Columbia or Afghanistan.

</sarcasm mixed with truth>

[NYC]

9. Exporting Vioxx was safe?

Imports are unsafe; our exports are safe. Our domestic sales are safe.

People were importing from Canada, Glaxo Wellcome products made in the U.S.A., wholesaled to Canada, then retailed back to the U.S. What is unsafe about that?

Hypocrites.

[depakid]

10. Yeah, right- the FDA has become so corrupt

that a majprity of ITS OWN scientists no longer have faith in its procedures!

And the Surgeon general's worried about Canada?

I don't think so.

[CountAllVotes]

11. well I have none if that means anything at all

So much corruption and so many lies.

Where might the truth be found I often ask myself.

[VegasWolf]

12. watch * admin to start poisoning drugs imported from Canada to

back up their claims. Boff off a few old people with
bad drugs and the demand goes away.

[leesa]

13. What utter horseshit. The drugs people are 'importing' are drugs

they can't afford to buy here. The only problem is pharmaceutical companies ripping off the American public.

[msgadget]

14. The industry is lobbying against Canada's low prices

"PhRMA lobbying activities have extended outside of the United States. "America's big drug companies are intensifying their lobbying efforts to 'change the Canadian health-care system' and eliminate subsidized prescription drug prices enjoyed by Canadians," CanWest News Service reported on June 9, 2003. "A prescription drug industry spokesman in Washington confirmed to CanWest News Service that information contained in confidential industry documents is accurate and that $1 million US is being added to the already heavily funded drug lobby against the Canadian system." PhRMA was the leading drug industry trade group behind the increased lobbying and PR campaign. PhRMA was also independently spending $450,000 to target the booming Canadian Internet pharmacy industry, which has been providing Americans with prescription drugs at lower prices than in the United States. "

http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Pharmaceutical_Research_and_Manufacturers_of_America">Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America

[NuttyFluffers]

15. exactly, let them go suck on an aleve tablet followed with a vioxx chaser.

then i'll go do lengthy inspections on their blood pressure cuffs to see if they are calibrated right...

bastards.

[sandnsea]

16. Free trade, free choice

Let me decide if the same damn drug I buy here is safe to buy from another country or not. Canada, Mexico, Spain, any country I damned well choose. If free trade is good enough for corporate America, it's good enough for the real live people of America.

[daa]

17. Your HIGH prescription drug prices

hard at work being funneled into the repuke pols pockets.

[woodsprite]

18. All the drugs getting pulled lately

and the latest FDA warning about Aleve plus the "no safe drugs to import" has me wondering if these drugs are targeted to fatten *'s pockets. Has anyone done research on the companies whose drugs are getting pulled or bad press by the FDA vs. the companies that are part of the * family holdings?