Cross Border Internet Pharmacies, one year later

When the federal election was called in 2005, everything was pretty quiet on the Cross Border Internet Pharmacy issue in Canada. Legislation to protect the Canadian drug supply had died in the House of Commons, and in the U.S., the new medicare plan for prescription drugs was brought forward helping American seniors afford their medications. The threat to the Canadian drug supply had subsided.

Then came November 2006 and the U.S. midterm elections. Democrats ran on the issue of ensuring that Americans could access affordable medications and immediately after the election, they pledged to follow through on their promise by allowing the importation of drugs from Canada. There is a commitment from the Democrats to review medicare legislations and it will be addressed at the first opportunity in January 2007.

According to an article in the Edmonton Journal on November 20, 2006 Senator Byron Dorgan, Chairman of the Democratic Senate policy committee, is quoted saying that his party would deal with the re-importation of prescription drugs and a wide range of issues affecting health care. “This loosing of an anti import policy under the Republicans that existed over the past two years,” the article says, “has created a free trade approach for the poor and senior populations that depend on the savings through imported prescriptions drugs. Even the FDA and US Customs have been reigned in and are not holding back imports of original manufactured branded prescription drugs.”

Our government prefers to wait until actual shortages occur before banning the export of Canadian medications to U.S. patients. Canadian patients deserve a government that is proactive and takes steps to prevent shortages from happening. It’s time to let our government know how we feel.