N.Y. mayor seeks boycott of Canada by drug firms

[dArKeR]

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is urging U.S. drug companies to stop shipping to Canada unless Ottawa changes its policies.
''What American pharmaceutical companies should do is refuse to sell drugs to Canada until they get rid of price controls,'' Mr. Bloomberg said yesterday.The remark added to a growing controversy over the cross-border trade in prescription drugs, estimated to be 60 per cent cheaper in Canada than the United States. Health Canada this week warned pharmacists that cross-border sales, increasingly made through the Internet, could lead to possible drug shortages in Canada.

Health Minister Anne McLellan said yesterday there is no evidence yet of any shortage. She said that regulation of doctors and pharmacists is a provincial responsibility, and that she'll be speaking to her counterparts if there are shortages.

http://theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031030.udrug1030/BNStory/National/

[DUreader]

1. Bloomberg Wants You:

To Die

[Bob3]

2. Mike can go piss up a rope.

Old brooklyn insult -

So the bad thing is the companies can't gouge canadians like they can Americans and that Americans showing the ingeunity that is our hallmark have figured a way around the gouging - that's the bad bit?

jesus.

[NashVegas]

3. That Man is Lucky He Doesn't Have to Run Upstate

I would love to see him try to run for Governor after a remark like that.

[tabasco]

4. Unconscionable greed

There is no better illustration of corporate greed than these efforts making it more difficult for sick people to obtain medication.

[Art_from_Ark]

5. How did this @$$hole EVER become mayor???

What a sorry-ass excuse for a "compassionate conservative"!

[DrBB]

6. And what's worse, he's a recent convert

Used to be a Dem before running for Mayor as a Puke.

[Wellong]

16. He is a recent convert

only in that he took the path of least resistence to get the nomination. He knew he had no shot in hell of getting the dem nomination so just before the deadline he switched to GOP for the express purpose of having clear sailing to the nomination.

[trogdor]

18. He spent SHITLOADS of his own money.

That and 9/11. We were down there paying our respects in Oct. '01 when we were accosted by Bloomberg people at literally every streetcorner.

[no_hypocrisy]

7. This comment may have been taken out of context.

Bloomberg was proposing New York City should be able to buy pharmaceuticals in Canada for budgetary reasons. The opinion cited above may have been a sarcastic rebuttal to arguments against such a program.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20031029/hl_nm/economy_newyorkcity_drugs_dc_1

[Spazito]

8. That is so weird!

I heard him this morning saying that that the pharmacutical companies should stop shipping drugs to Canada unless we stopped the internet companies selling and shipping drugs to the US.

The confusion may be that he wants direct purchases rather than internet purchases?

[loudnclear]

9. What a hearfelt position for our elderly and poor!

Just like the Republicans...profit before people.

[loudnclear]

10. I told you capitalism had failed.

I thought capitalism could compete with every kind of economic system and bury it? Only if you embargo it out of business, monopolize, and subsidize big business. We like competition only if we can win.

[number six]

11. From what i understand of his ramblings

he's basically saying that because we (Canucks) have greater control
over medication prices and can keep them lower than the US, this is in someway unfair to US suppliers. If Bloomberg wants cheaper drugs why doesn't he lobby congress to create similar controls in the US and stop whining when other countries try to help their citizens. I'm glad Canadian suppliers are helping Americans save a buck on pills. Isn't that the point of capitalism?

[chiburb]

12. I think the G&M has it wrong:

From today's Chi. Sun-Times:

N.Y. mayor backs Blagojevich's drug fight

Snip:

SPRINGFIELD -- Despite getting his name butchered, Gov. Blagojevich enlisted support Wednesday from the Republican mayor of New York City in his bid to persuade the Bush administration to allow drug imports from Canada.

"What we're talking about is re-importing back into the U.S. prescription drugs made here in the U.S. and then sent up to Canada for resale," Bloomberg said. "The fact of the matter is these drugs are for sale in America at a lot higher price. There's . . . no reason city and states should be denied the right to purchase safe prescription drugs at reasonable prices. I want to applaud Gov. Blagojevich for the lead he has taken on this issue."

Bloomberg signed Blagojevich's online petition and urged New Yorkers to do so as well. Since the drive was launched Oct. 14, the governor has garnered 15,000 signatures urging the FDA to change its policy.

"I want to thank Mayor Bloomberg for joining us in this important fight," the governor said. "Having the largest city in our nation behind this effort sends a powerful message to Washington."

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-drugs30.html

[komplex]

13. Bloomberg's sense of humor is not of a Politician...

Early in his term, he passed a non-binding order for everybody in the Administration to use Public transportation and not hired cars for city business. When the press told them what he would do if they didn't follow it, he replied "I don't know, I suppose we'll shoot them."

The press was in a tizzy for a few days. I can't wait for the day when the press will try to make a mountain out of a molehill and Bloomberg will just lose it.

[smirkymonkey]

14. Bloomberg can kiss JLo's

big, overexposed *ss (only because saying he can kiss mine leaves me with a nightmare inducing mental picture). This guy is sooooo outta here next term.

Time for another protest in the Big Apple!

[EdGy]

15. as a New Yorker, I say F*** Bloomberg!!!

New York has got to dump this rich a**hole.

[qwertyMike]

17. How about Price Controls

for the US of A????

Oops - Pharmaceutical Lobby.
Socialism.
Communism.
The Devil.

Mission Accomplished

[Gloria]

19. US ALSO pressuring Australia-----Australia's govt buys in bulk and

saves about 40% for their health system....Article was in an Australian paper a couple of days ago.

Arrogant SOBs....Want to drag down the whole world to our level....