[hobbes1]

P.S. The U.S. Government should close our market to any Drug Company that gouges Americans, by doing business in Canada.

[gridlock]

The US consumer must bear the development costs and overhead (profit) for every new drug that comes along. The folks in Canada are given a free ride, because the drug companies are limited to a small profit over the manufacturing costs.

Fortunately for the Canadians, the US drug market exists, so there is something to freeload off of. If the US institutes a Canadian-style system of drug price controls, where will we go for innovations and new drugs? Mexico?

Drug company profits are the engine behind an explosion of new drug therapies. Yes, the drugs are expensive. But they are cheap compared to the cost of hospitilization or illness and death that they prevent. Compare the cost of a maintenance prescription of Zocor to the cost and risk of a Cardiac Bypass operation. Sure it's a lot to pay for a little pill, but it is more expensive to live without the little pill.