DRUG DEBACLE: CANADA ISN'T THE ANSWER

New York Post ^ | October 7, 2004 | COLLIN LEVEY

[OESY]

...The John-John ticket's hare-brained idea is to reimport medicines from Canada to your corner pharmacy. That is to say, to take drugs made here and shipped to supply a country of 30 million, and bring them back here to supply a country of 360 million.

Does any Democrat have an abacus?

...Last decade, companies like Novartis (Swiss), Aventis (French) and Pharmacia (Swedish) moved their operations from Europe to the greener pastures of New Jersey and Massachusetts because Europe's governments were making it too hard to do business. They even banned direct-to-consumer advertising — lest citizens get wind of any pricey new discoveries and demand Europe's national health systems pay for them. The reimportation debacle is now causing similar consternation here.

The Beacon Hill Institute: ... Boston could stand to lose 4,000 jobs as a result of the reimportation of drugs. By effectively importing price controls, the group said, the measure would stifle innovation and damage the local high-tech economy.

Kerry has shaken his fist at the "outsourcers" of American jobs — but what exactly does he think causes job flight in the first place?....

Skip past the campaign slogans to the realities. Drugs are arguably the most important thing that Americans buy — they not only lengthen life but improve its quality. Right around the corner, thanks to the crazy gambles drug investors have been willing to take, may be the first real treatments for Alzheimers, which afflicts nearly half of all Americans who reach age 85.

And the "astronomical" prices seem like pocket change next to what the same people spend on lattes and impulse purchases. Celebrex is considered an "expensive" drug at $2 a day, but for an arthritis sufferer looking for something beyond aspirin or motrin, it's a pretty cheap "miracle."...

[pipecorp]

kerry wants to buy from canada. isn't this outsourcing , john?

[Shermy]

It's called "free trade".

[narby]

Not when the prices are controlled by Canada. If I read this right, that's what's happening.

[traviskicks]

heh heh. It will sink Canada's failed Nationalized health system though... Might be worth it just so people here know the difference between NATIONAL and PRIVATE. (of course ours is only half private with all these regulations and rules and governement programs...)

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/printfriendly/0,4139,39028,00.html

http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=d0dde34d-f2b5-4b59-9bf1-56b1c7253e53

[go-dubya-04]

You are a true moron! Name another industry that has done so much to better the lives of people in this country. If you take away profits, investors sell the stock, the stock falls, no money for research, no cures!
$2-4 day to save your life!? Heavens no! But $5 for a latte, sure thing!
BTW, the richest demographic in this country is people over the age of 65. They need to stop whining, if they don't want to pay for the drug, then see how great life is without them.

[A. Pole]

Drugs are arguably the most important thing that Americans buy — they not only lengthen life but improve its quality.

Or they do not buy if they cannot afford the price. Life expectancy in America is one of the lowest among the developed countries.

[iopscusa]

You are right, there are some true MORONS that do not realize the higher cost of Drugs paid by Americans are supporting almost all of the cost of R&D. All the fat/lazy socialized populations in the world get theirs cheap or "free"....let them pay their share and cut off all free rides on the back of the US taxpayer...I too am sick of all these MORONS who can not understand simple economics!

[go-dubya-04]

So, your brilliant answer is to support the socialized policies of Canada, et al!? You are right about Americans paying for the R&D, but the answer is NOT to inflict price controls on this industry. It is to get the other countries to pay the a proper rate.
That being said, how much do you charge the average Mexican for a month's supply of Lipitor? Same as US? He makes about 50$ per month. Same with Canada when you take into accountthe feeble exchange rate their country has because of their socialized policies.
You people crack me up. You're never afraid to pay for the enjoyable things in life but, God forbid, you have to pay for something that you really would rather not buy.
So, what other industries would you like the govt in charge of? How about your company? Yep, that's what I thought

[go-dubya-04]

Wouldn't want to go for Tort Reform, would you? Ever hear of breast implants? Drove Dow into bankruptcy! And there was ZERO, repeat, ZERO connection between the implants and any health issues! Do you have any idea the number of law suits brought against drug companies every year? How much do you think that adds to the price of your prescription?

[A. Pole]

$2-4 day to save your life!? Heavens no! But $5 for a latte, sure thing!

There are many people who cannot afford lattes either. And do not talk about "$2-4 day" drugs. We talk about $10-$20 per day versus $5 per day.

[jim35]

This is one more example of the left's lunacy. So, you're gonna send those Canadian drugs back to the U.S.? How many of them? Enough to supply 280,000,000 people? These drugs are cheaper there, because the price is supplemented by charging higher prices here. Maybe not the best of all worlds, but it simply will not work to just re-import them at the lower price, except in very small numbers. If everyone uses Canada's cheaper drugs, then Canada won't have cheaper drugs anymore. The supplemental pricing will simply pass on to Canada, or else the drug companies will lose money. That means trouble for R&D, and the next thing you know, we're behind in drug technology. We could have cheaper drugs, but not GOOD cheaper drugs. Pure hubris.

[go-dubya-04]

Really, name me the most popular drugs that go for $20 per day! Plus, every single drug company has a program for uninsured or underinsured patients. Do the research before you make a fool of yourself! Nobody will go without drugs if they do a little research and take the time to do the paperwork. But the Dems and you whiners don't know or don't want others to know about these programs.Amgen has a program for these patients, even for those earning up to $60,000 per year. Hardly the definition of indigent!

[go-dubya-04]

BTW, the drugs coming back into US from Canada are NOT guaranteed to be from Canada. Go to any of those web sites and you are more likely to get drugs from S Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan or India. They are only routed through Cnada and are very likely to be fakes.
I challenge any of the Dems or other "advocates" like yourself to buy all there meds from these "Canadian" pharmacies. You, and they, won't because you know that it is dangerous for you and your family.
So, before you reply, promise all of us that you will buy all your drugs from Canada, just to show your true commitment to the cause.

[go-dubya-04]

OOPs, sorry jim35, my response was meant for A. Pole

[Shermy]

So, what other industries would you like the govt in charge of?

Seems to me the pharmaceutical industry is in charge of our government.

How can it else wise be explained that the new prescription drug benefit law provides that the govt. can NOT bargain and negotiate over the price of drugs? Is that "free?"

The drug companies would make drugs whatever the situation. That's their industry, along with creating any argument they can to rationalize any price they charge, govt. subsidies they get, any inequality they foster. That's the profit motive.

[go-dubya-04]

Hey Shermy, I got news for you - if you took away ALL the profits from the big, bad drug companies, you would reduce US healthcare expenditures by one tenth of one percent. Look it up.
Here's another answer, Shermy, don't buy them! Or, better yet, go to a venture capitalist and try to start "Shermy's Really Nice Drug Company" where you can spend 800 million of your investors' dollars to bring your breakthrough, wonder-drug, "Shermy-Saves-Your-Life Drug" to market and then turn around and tell those investors that the drug is SO very valuable to saving the lives of all the ingrates who need it, that you've decide to sell it at no profit to the company! Then, sit back and watch as the stock price of your company just soars because of all the good-hearted investors who don't want to make any money for their 401ks or IRAs but just want to sink their hard-earned money into your blessed company because the kind-hearted CEO - Shermy, gives away any ROI for the betterment of mankind! But then the ingrates whose lives you saved say, "I don't want CHEAP drugs- I want FREE drugs! Why should I have to pay at all if I need "Shermy-Saves-Your-Life" Drug just to stay alive?!" And you, Shermy, being the bleeding-heart socialist that you are, say, "Boy, you're right. How dare we charge any money for this wonder-drug"
And all the world lived happily ever after. THE END
Go back to DU or whatever socialist rat-hole you climbed out of!

[beaver fever]

The rumour that Canadian drugs are unsafe because they are imported from Third Party countries, (not to be confused with Third World countries), has been widely refuted both in Canada and the US.

For Generic Drug Safety in Canada goto
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/iyh/medical/gen_drugs.html

But really safety isn't the issue it's price. As jim35 rightly noted if all Canadian drugs were exported to the US Canada would have no drugs all, cheap or otherwise. Canadian Medical Associations are not the least in favour of exporting Canadian drugs for that reason.

Also Canada has 1/10 the population of the US so even if all Canadian drugs were exported the price of US drugs would not be affected in any significant way.

Thirty percent of drugs prescribed in Canada are generics. In the case of Hospital administered drugs generics are the first choice. That means only 70% of Canadian Drugs are proprietary. Health Canada recommends price ceilings for this category of drugs but drug companies are not forced to sell at the recommended price. They can refuse to supply the Canadian market. Often times they chose not to.

Lastly if a generic drug cannot be found then Proprietary alternatives will be covered at the market price if a patients condition requires it. This varies from province to province depending on the individual provincial health acts.

So as some writers have said on this thread, Canada is neither the cause nor solution to US drug prices. It's a US problem which requires a US solution.

[go-dubya-04]

Dear Beaver (I always wanted to write that)
You make some very good points but I am talking about web-based pharmacies located in Canada that get most of their drugs from third-world, not third-party distributors. This has been proven by the FDA abd several private investigations. You are correct that true Canadian drugs, bought from the US are indeed safe but that is not what people will get on "Canadian" web sites.
Secondly, I ask others on this discussion, can you name the last time a generic drug company used their profits to bring forth a discovery to benefit patients? God knows, they make alot of money, too. Where does it go?

[beaver fever]

Actually Health Canada explicitly refuted the claims made in the FDA investigations you describe, noting that in order to sell drugs in Canada (or Online to the US) a company must be a registered Retail Pharmacy and can only order drugs approved for distribution in Canada. Any company that did otherwise would be acting illegally and the penalties for unauthorized distribution of controlled substances are just as severe here as in the US.

The one case I read of an Online Drug company being shut down was due to the fact that they issued drugs to patients without prescription or by failing to contact the patients US physician to verify the authenticity of the prescription.

If I'm mistaken about the details of the FDA investigations or there is new verifiable information please provide relevant links.

Thanks for the Reply