Prescription Drug Importation
The Seniors Coalition objects to the practice of
prescription drug importation for reasons of safety.
Currently, the US has one of, if not the safest drug supply in the
world. We also usually have the first
access to breakthrough drugs. Drastic
changes in this system should not be taken lightly, even if they promise to
save us a few bucks.
Proponents of this practice know the safety concerns
of seniors and Americans in general. That is why they want you to believe it is
only a matter of re-importing American-made drugs from Canada, at a better price.
But if you purchase a drug from a Canadian pharmacy it may not be a drug
manufactured in either America or Canada. We know from
our own polling that seniors are overwhelmingly against importation of drugs
from countries other than Canada.
It is important to understand that Canada’s Food and Drug Act requires only that the safety of
drugs being sold to Canadians be
certified. Thus drugs entering Canada that or not for sale or use in Canada are allowed to bypass the drug review process.
We know that Canadian
pharmacies import drugs from countries such as Bulgaria, Pakistan and South
Africa; the authenticity and safety of the drug that is coming across the
border will not be guaranteed by any Canadian government agency and cannot be
guaranteed by our own FDA. There will be
no one to hold accountable when things go wrong.
Drug importation is a terrible game of chance and
that is why the FDA, Department of Health and Human Services, Health Canada
and the American Medical Association have all banned
the practice. And it is why The Seniors Coalition will continue to fight drug
importation from any country.
The issue here is
not whether Americans want cheaper prescription drugs – heaven knows we all
want the things we buy to come with a cheaper price tag, The
issue is whether or not seniors are willing to allow Congress to jeopardize
their safety to help them save a buck on prescription drugs; and our research
shows that seniors are not yet willing to trade their assurance of safety for a
few dollars at the check-out stand. - Grandma Green, National Spokeswoman
