Wisconsin wants Canadian drugs online - ('nuther headline for Junior!!!)

[ConcernedCanuk]

. . MADISON, WIS. - Another U.S. state is expressing interest in buying prescription drugs directly from internet pharmacies in Canada.

Wisconsin joins Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois in exploring the option. They want to take advantage of the difference in drug costs between Canada and the United States.

Drugs are up to 50 per cent cheaper in Canada because of government price controls.

/snip/

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration opposes any effort by a state to buy drugs from Canada.



Is this what the FDA calls the "war on drugs" ??

[La_Serpiente]

1. Ha

What would be the modern day word for "The Boston Tea Party?"

"The Wisconsin Drug Revolt"

Return of the Boxer Rebellion.

I just have one concern. One problem about this is that if the supply doesn't come from Canada and comes from America, it could be a problem. The drug companies in the US could decrease their drug shipments to Canada, thus raising the price.

I don't know if it is illegal, but it could happen if they wanted it to.

[Maple]

2. Or we could just make more here

in Canada.

[Hieronymus]

3. It's a trade

violation to do that.
Just heard it on C-SPAN.

[ConcernedCanuk]

4. Not sure what you meant which is illegal - - here's clarification

. . Fromm the posted article:

"Doyle told CBC Newsworld Sunday that if a deal is made, it will be a huge money-saver.

"If we can find savings of 10 or 20 per cent, obviously it's an enormous help to the taxpayers of the state of Wisconsin," he said.

The state spends $600 million US a year on prescription drugs for medical assistance programs.

His office has said as long as the drugs are manufactured outside the United States, it is legal to purchase them through a Canadian pharmacy. "

So if we buy our drugs somewhere else, we can sell all we want to the USA, no ?

We just can't sell Murikkan drugs BACK to Americans,

(like that makes alot of sense - oh well, we ARE dealing with the BFEE)

[Screaming Lord Byron]

5. Finally, NAFTA's beginning to work!

[camero]

6. One question

Aren't the drug companies making drugs overseas also? Wouldn't that affect the safety of drugs in US pharmacies also if the place where the drugs were made were not up to US standrds?

For example, Merck having a drug factory in India and shipping the drugs from those plants to the US.

[sybylla]

7. Safety is not an issue

In order for food and drugs to be sold to customers in the US, it still has to meet our FDA production and safety guidelines. I have been told by my SO, who has worked on automated food and drug process systems in both countries that Canada's laws on the production and sale of food and drugs are stricter than ours. The claim that Canadian drugs are inferior is totally bogus and more right-wing, cheap-labor conservative bullshit.

If it can be sold to Canadians, there is no possible reason it can't be sold to consumers in the US.

[Spazito]

8. Very true!

In fact, the Canadian government has challenged the FDA to prove their spurious claim that the drugs from Canada are unsafe. No answer from the FDA yet, big surprise there.

[camero]

11. You misunderstood

I think Canadian drugs are as safe as US drugs also. As a matter of fact, I trust the safety of Canadian drugs more as there is more regulation.

My point was that US drug companies could be making thier drugs overseas and that could possibly mean less safe drugs in US pharmacies.

A good example is the counterfeiting of drugs found in FL.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

9. And another city:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-drugs1nov01222419,1,2607778.story?coll=la-home-leftrail

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Four times a day, when 13-year-old Mikey Albano injects himself with insulin from Canada to control his diabetes, his only concern is aiming the syringe.

Mikey — the son of this city's mayor — knows that some people question whether the medication that comes by mail to his home in a refrigerated package might be outdated or otherwise unsafe. Mikey also has heard critics suggest his father is endangering his life to save a few pennies.

"That is just wrong," the eighth-grader says. "And I'm living proof."

Three months ago, Mayor Michael J. Albano launched the country's first insurance plan that allows city workers to buy lower-cost medication from Canada. Albano and leaders of 23 unions spent nine months crafting a program to curb health-care expenses, which had more than doubled since the mayor took office in 1996.

In this medium-sized city in western Massachusetts, some of the 20,000 workers and their families are saving 30% to 90% on prescriptions because Canada's provincial health-care systems and government regulations keep prices lower.
<snip>

This is the sort of headline that needs to be kept in the forefront in the fight for medical system reform in America. No one seems to ever ask this administration why the Canadians can manage less expensive drug costs than we can.

One possible answer is here: Pharmaceuticals/Health Products:
Top Contributors
http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/contrib.asp?Ind=H04



(from http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=195205 )

[htuttle]

10. Go Governor Doyle!

I had my differences with him from time to time when he was Attorney General, but this deal is the sort of thing he's always done best.