Our prescription drug supply in danger? Take a pill

It would be nice to assume that U.S. legislation to legalize mass importation of Canada’s prescription drugs will not survive Congressional votes and the President’s veto. Then we could relax and do nothing to protect our drug supply. That would be a mistake, because importing medicines from Canada has become a uniquely bipartisan policy proposal south of the border.

David Gratzer [a physician in Canada, is a Senior Fellow at the Manhatten Institute] dismisses the concerns of Canadian pharmacists about American demand creating drug shortages or upward pressure on our drug prices. Describing the difficulty of passing U.S. laws, he cites Democrat Cynthia McKinney’s bill to impeach President Bush. It’s a specious example. Ms. McKinney’s bill was a symbolic gesture, not supported by Democratic Party leadership, from an outgoing Representative who didn’t even win her own party’s district nomination. Drug importation from Canada is a very different story. On this issue, Congress has seen an almost unprecedented gathering of forces from both sides of the aisle.

Importation legislation is co-sponsored, in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, by leaders from each party. Heavyweights, including likely presidential candidates such as Republican John McCain, support importation. Rep. Rahm Emmanuel, one of the architects of the Democrats’ big victory in November, is a particularly vociferous advocate of buying Canada’s drugs. And, lest we doubt how serious the Americans are, let’s take note that importation bills were re-introduced in both houses within the first 100 hours of the new Congress.

As health professionals, pharmacists focus on empirical facts. Here are a few. There are 10 times as many Americans as there are Canadians. Prescription medicines cost as much as 40 per cent less in Canada. American wholesalers and pharmacy chains are practically drooling over the opportunity to buy as much of our drug supply as they can get their hands on. Canada has no process in place to stop them.

The pharmacists are right to worry. And the federal government is wrong not to ban the export of Canada’s prescription drugs.

Cam Battley is President of Health Strategy Group, Inc. in Campbellville, Ontario. The above letter was submitted by him and printed (with edits) in the Globe and Mail on January 18, in response to Dr. David Gratzer’s opinion piece January 17,2007.