Canada Drug Talk

Joel Lexchin

"It is common knowledge that drug companies spend a lot on promotion... But even I didn't realize that the figure was as high as we estimate it is."

Joel Lexchin is with the School of Health Policy and Management, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

In a report entitled The Cost of Pushing Pills: A New Estimate of Pharmaceutical Promotion Expenditures in the United States published in the Public Library of Science Medicine, authors Marc-André Gagnon and Joel Lexchin conclude:

"From this new estimate, it appears that pharmaceutical companies spend almost twice as much on promotion as they do on R&D. These numbers clearly show how promotion predominates over R&D in the pharmaceutical industry, contrary to the industry's claim. While the amount spent on promotion is not in itself a confirmation of Kefauver's depiction of the pharmaceutical industry, it confirms the public image of a marketing-driven industry and provides an important argument to petition in favor of transforming the workings of the industry in the direction of more research and less promotion."

Editor's Note:

The Kefauver referred to in the conclusion is Estes Kefauver, a former Senator who accused the prescription drug industry of predatory pricing and excessive marketing in the 1950's.  He launched a public review of the industry through the Senate's anti-trust and monopoly subcommittee.

Sources:

The Cost of Pushing Pills: A New Estimate of Pharmaceutical Promotion Expenditures in the United States by Marc-André Gagnon and Joel Lexchin (Public Library of Science Medicine)

Drug Companies Spend Nearly Double on Marketing Compared with Research: Study (The Canadian Press)

Jeffrey Light

"The argument that drug companies can be trusted to provide adequate safety information on their own products has been used by the pharmaceutical industry to fight against government regulation of consumer advertising.  Clearly such trust is misplaced.  As Abbott’s actions have demonstrated, drug companies will attempt to hide unfavorable safety information when they think nobody is watching.

Jeffrey Light is Executive Director of the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group Patients not Patents.

Source: Abbott Laboratories Deletes Safety Concerns from Web (Patients not Patents Press Release)

Editor's Note: This company and many others like it were caught by WikiScanner.  WikiScanner was developed by Virgil Griffith, a researcher at the California Institute of Technology.  It reveals changes to an online encyclopedia by linking edits back to the computers from which they were done, using each computer’s unique IP address.

Related Links:

Patients not Patents

WikiScanner

Robert Bazell

"If anyone doubts the influence of drug company ads on patients and physicians — consider all those wasted billions of dollars for a pill that sells for more than six times as much as another drug that does the same thing, made by the same company."

Robert Bazell is Chief Science and Health Correspondent for NBC News.

Editor's Note: He is, of course, referring to AstraZeneca's Prilosec (costs about $30/month) and Nexium (costs about $200/month).  Nexium (the 'little purple pill') costs six times as much but is only 3 percent better at relieving symptoms.

Shame on AstraZeneca and double shame on the FDA top managers who approved this drug even though the officer assigned to the case concluded that the new drug offered no "significant clinical advance" over the old drug. Your actions wasted billions of dollars a year that could have been put to better use.

The Costly Side Effects of Nexium's Ad Blitz (NBC News)

Doctor Kurt Stange

"[Prescription drug ads are] really intruding onto the doctor-patient relationship... What the ads tend to do is take up time and energy during a visit that could otherwise be spent on things that are important to the patient."

Doctor Stange is professor of family medicine at Case Western Reserve University and editor of the Annals of Family Medicine.

Source: Could Drug Ads be Bad for Your Health? (ABC News)

Doctor Dominick Frosch

"The ads do rely almost universally on the consumers' emotions... Medical decisions shouldn't be about emotions. They should be on carefully weighed benefits, risks and costs."

Doctor Frosch is an assistant professor of general internal medicine at UCLA.  He also said:

"Doctors in surveys have said that they have provided drugs even when the prescription wasn't appropriate... If consumers were powerless in changing the views of the doctors, the pharmaceutical industry would not be spending money advertising to them. It works."

Source: Could Drug Ads be Bad for Your Health? (ABC News)

Editor's Note: Prescription drug advertising contributes to higher drug prices in the United States and is banned in nearly all other Western countries.  Please read Why are Canadian Drug Prices Lower? for details.

Joseph E Stiglitz

"Drug companies spend more on advertising and marketing than on research, more on research on lifestyle drugs than on life saving drugs, and almost nothing on diseases that affect developing countries only. This is not surprising. Poor people cannot afford drugs, and drug companies make investments that yield the highest returns."

Joseph E Stiglitz was chief economist of the World Bank from 1997 to 2000 and won the Nobel Prize for economics in 2001.

Source: Scrooge and Intellectual Property Rights (British Medical Journal)

David MacKay

"The bottom line in 2007 is that enrollment costs are going up substantially, drug coverage is declining and the brand name coverage in the doughnut hole is being eliminated... Medicare D is an insurance program, not a benefit. As consumption increases, so too will cost. The changes in 2007 clearly demonstrate the limitations of the program.

"Therefore, seniors are wise to re-evaluate their plans and consider online Canadian pharmacies... especially since Customs seizures are no longer an issue."

David MacKay is an international pharmacy expert and consultant.

Source: Media Release

Tessa Hafen

"Jon Porter has failed to make prescription drugs more affordable... In fact, his votes in Congress have made drugs more expensive, while the drug companies make record profits."

Congressional candidate Tessa Hafen criticized her Republican opponent's support for recent federal Medicare legislation.

If elected, Hafen said she would allow the government to negotiate with drug makers and legalize the reimportation of medicines from Canada.

Source: Hafen Attacks Nevada Congressman for Medicare Vote (Associated Press)

Representative Louise Slaughter

While many have been left behind by Part D, there is a clear winner: the drug industry. Independent analysts predict that Part D will increase drug industry profits by $139 billion over the next eight years. Glaxo-SmithKline's second-quarter net income already jumped 14 percent, and other leading drug companies also have benefited.

The procedure used to pass Part D was the worst abuse of the legislative process I have seen during my 20 years in Congress. Powerful Republicans quashed conscientious amendments to the bill, including one requiring the administration to negotiate lower drug prices and another allowing Americans to import cheaper drugs from Canada. And during the conference process by which the House and Senate versions of legislation are reconciled, Democratic legislators were shut out, but lobbyists from the pharmaceutical industry were invited in.

Louise Slaughter represents the 28th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Source: Give Medicare Program Total Overhaul; Don't Just Fill 'Doughnut Hole' (The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

Representative Louise Slaughter

Recent criticisms of Part D have focused on the so-called "doughnut hole" rule in which beneficiaries must cover all annual expenses between $2,251 and $5,100 — a hole in their coverage. But while this flaw will cost patients money and is expected to hurt as many as 7 million seniors and people living with disabilities this year, it is just the tip of the iceberg.

Part D does not allow the administration to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. These companies are charging taxpayers up to 80 percent more for drugs purchased under Part D than for those purchased under other plans. Furthermore, it prevents the re-importation of cheaper medications from Canada.

Louise Slaughter represents the 28th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Source: Give Medicare Program Total Overhaul; Don't Just Fill 'Doughnut Hole' (The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

Froma Harrop

"In case you haven't noticed, a large wall is being built around the American people to ensure that they remain prisoner to the drug industry. It's easy to understand why drug makers want to force Americans to buy their products in the United States. Ours is the only industrialized country that doesn't negotiate the prices the drug companies may charge. As a result, a 90-day supply of Fosamax sells for $105 in Canada but $210 here."

Froma Harrop is a Providence Journal columnist.

Source: Keeping Our Border Safe from Affordable Medication (Seattle Times)

Rex Wilmouth

"The 46 million uninsured (Americans) pay 60 percent more than the federal government pays for the same drugs. The uninsured pay about twice what they would pay for he same drugs at a Canadian pharmacy... Prescription drug pricing is out of control and puts needed medical treatment out of reach for too many Americans."

Rex Wilmouth is State Director of Colorado Public Interest Research Group.

Source: National Survey Shows Uninsured Americans Pay Higher Prices For Prescription Drugs - Uninsured Coloradans Paying Nearly Twice As Much As They Should (Colorado Public Interest Research Group)

Senator Judd Gregg

"If I were a creative terrorist, I would say to myself, 'Hey, listen, all I've got to do is produce a can here that says 'Lipitor' on it, make it look like the original Lipitor bottle, which isn't too hard to do, fill it with anthrax.'"

Senator Judd Gregg said the proposal to let Canadian drugs into the US was "...creating a massive hole on our capacity to secure our borders and protect ourselves."

Source: Senate Relents on Canada Drug Imports (Associated Press)

Editor's Response:

If I were a creative terrorist...

If you were a creative terrorist?

Senator Gregg, a creative terrorist would do their homework.   A creative terrorist would know that drugs from Canada are factory sealed.  A creative terrorist would know that it would be easier to introduce poisoned drugs into the system using an American pharmacy (where pills are still counted).

Fortunately for those of us who live in the real world, a creative terrorist would also know that one does not maximize fear by poisoning people one bottle of pills at a time.

Speaking of pills, I am sorry but I have to ask:

When you dreamed up your clever Lipitor scheme, Senator Gregg, were you on the same pills Lester Crawford probably was on when he said Terrorists may Tamper with Prescription Drugs from Canada?

That was back in 2004!

Creative terrorist?  You are not even a creative senator.

Playing the terror card?  Using fear against grandparents trying to make ends meet by importing prescription drugs from Canada?

Shame on you, Senator Gregg! At 59 years of age you should know better.

Just so you know: Baseless scare-tactics won't work against us.  Unlike you, we do our homework.

And the next time you think of trying to use fear as a weapon against us, remember that it takes a bit of courage, a lot of hard work and a fair bit of brains to get to our age.

People enjoying life after sixty are survivors, not suckers.

We just don't scare that easily, Mr. Senator.

Senator David Vitter

"We should demand that (Customs and Border Protection) focus on the true priority that we face on the war on terror... Stripping small amounts of prescription drugs from the hands of seniors... that should not be a priority."

Source: Senate OKs Canada Drug Import Plan (Guardian Unlimited)

Linda Van Gundy

"As far as I'm concerned, my government stole my drugs... And they're not going to pay me back for them."

Seventy-year-old Linda Van Gundy hoped Xenical would help her lose weight to relieve medical problems.  A one-month supply of Xenical costs $200 in the US and $99 in Canada (free shipping).  Since April, she lost six pounds and saved $400 buying Canadian drugs.

Last month, however, Linda's shipment of Xenical was siezed by federal authorities on its way into the country.

Source: Peoria Journal Star News (July 9th, 2006)

Michael M. Perhach III

"The New York State Board of Pharmacy licenses pharmacies to provide standards of practice to protect our citizens. Who is protecting our citizens from Canadian and other out-of-state firms?"

In an editorial entitled Local Pharmacies Contribute to Quality of Community's Life, Binghamton pharmacist Michael M. Perhach III wrote the above statement.  While I agree with his points about the importance of keeping money in one's community, I would like to challenge the notion that dealing with Canadian pharmacies somehow leaves citizens unprotected.

Who is protecting us when we shop at Canadian pharmacies?

I believe that Andrew Strempler, President and CEO of RX North, answers this question much more eloquently than I ever could: RX North's Regulatory Agencies page.

State Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley

"It was pretty clear that our national policies are a disgrace."

State Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley was referring to prescription drug policies in the United States.

State Assemblywoman Buckley sits on the legislative committee that approved new rules allowing Nevadans to buy Canadian prescription drugs.

Source: Online Canadian Prescription Drugs Available to Nevadans (KLASTV)

Congressman Gil Gutknecht

"It would be devastating if someone gets sick or dies because someone's drugs were confiscated... It is amazing that we have a government that can't control our borders to illegal immigration and literally tons of illegal narcotic drugs that are coming into this country every day, but by God they can stop Grandma from saving $50 on her prescription drugs."

US Representative Gil Gutknecht, a Minnesota Republican, is a staunch supporter of imported drugs.

Source: US Steps Up Seizures of Imported Drugs (Boston Globe)

Nancy Popkin

"The implication is that I have done something illegal, unpatriotic. I think it's ludicrous... I don't go for that kind of baloney... But think how many people get scared out of their wits."

Nancy Popkin is a financial advisor in her seventies.  She has been buying Fosamax from Canadian pharmacies for years.  She recently recieved a warning letter from the government.

Source: US Steps Up Seizures of Imported Drugs (Boston Globe)

Estelle Kresch

"Why would I worry? No matter where they are from, they are from the manufacturer. To me, the key words are 'factory sealed package'... As long as I can save $50 or $80, I have to do it."

Boca Raton retiree Estelle Kresch is a longtime customer of Canadian drugs.

Source: Canada's Cheaper Drugs Come Under Increasing Pressure (South Florida Sun-Sentinel / February 19th, 2005)

Joe R. Granieri

"I just received my sixth Canadian prescription drug order. The cost was $168 total for 300 pills. The same prescription, brand and strength, here is $604. This may not be significant to the FDA, but it sure is to me."

Mr. Granieri was commenting on a federal task force's claim that importing drugs from Canada would not be significantly cheaper.

Source: I'll Take Chances with Canada's Drugs (Arizona Republic / January 11th, 2005)

Governor Tim Pawlenty

"The Canadian government should not slam the door on American consumers seeking more affordable prescription medicines from safe Canadian pharmacies. The proposed change in Canada's prescription drug policy would have serious effects on the pocketbooks and well-being of the more than 2 million Americans who buy their prescription medicines from Canada."

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi

"President Bush must stop serving as a handmaiden for the pharmaceutical industry."

Source: Detroit News / December 26th, 2004

Manitoba Premier Gary Doer

"I would suggest strongly that instead of Mr. Dosanjh folding like a cheap suit on this issue with the United States, that he would be aware of the decisions and the stand Ms. McLellan had when she was minister of health."

Manitoba Premier Gary Doer was talking about Canada Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh's plans to crack down on Canadian online pharmacies shortly after a visit by US President George W. Bush.

Mr. Dosanjh's predecessor had no problems with the cross-border drug trade and, strangely enough, neither did Mr. Dosanjh prior to the President's visit.

Canada Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh

"There are lobby groups saying the situation... is more serious than we believe it to be."

Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh was speaking at the Harvard University and said this when asked by an audience member whether Canadians were being "needlessly scared" about Internet pharmacy sales.

Dosanjh suggested some lobbying groups in Canada might be exaggerating the issue.

Dosanjh said he saw no evidence of supply shortages in Canada, with annual Internet pharmacy sales appearing to have plateaued at about $600 million, but he said Ottawa was monitoring the matter closely.

Source: Reuters AlertNet UK / November 10th, 2004

Doctor Erik Steele - Administrator at Eastern Maine Medical Center

"On the issue of rising prescription drug costs, it would be helpful... if we could get President Bush to act more like the CEO of America and less like the CEO of a pharmaceutical company. His administration has resisted... re-importation of prescription drugs from Canada, arguing those medications may not be safe. That argument is so thin you would be arrested for wearing it at the beach, as evidenced by the recent efforts of the administration to re-import influenza vaccine from Canada."

Source:
Bangor Daily News / November 9th, 2004.

Rick Borgwardt

"In Canada, we trust."

Rick Borgwardt is a 66-year-old emphysema patient who received a potentially lifesaving flu shot from Canada.  The flu shot was imported by Dr. Philip O'Keefe of the California Pacific Medical Center after a three-week struggle with the FDA.  Borgwardt says he has no concerns about the safety of the vaccine from Canada.

Source:
Flu Shots Fly in from Canada - Vaccine Dearth Prompts S.F. Doctor to Import His Own Supply (San Francisco Chronicle / November 2nd, 2004)

Canada Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh

"To date there's no evidence of such (drug shortages). I think it's important that we not cause panic on this issue by going away from the facts and the facts are that these (Internet pharmacy) sales have stabilized at about C$850 million ($697 million) a year... There might be anecdotal evidence out there but I can tell you we monitor these issues regularly, Health Canada does, and I'm advised there's no evidence of shortages. If there is evidence of shortages then Health Canada would make sure that whatever that drug is, is held for Canadian use."

Health Minister Dosanjh also said there was no evidence to back industry assertions that some medicines for diabetics are in short supply.

Source: Canada to Act if US Drug Demand Triggers Shortage (Reuters / October 28th, 2004)

Brad Heavner, Maryland Public Interest Research Group Director

"It is fundamentally unfair that drug companies are allowed to use near-monopoly powers to gouge American consumers.  People without drug coverage are being forced to subsidize giant pharmaceutical companies with tremendous profit margins."

Source: Lower Prescription Drug Prices Possible, Says Nonprofit's Study (Baltimore Chronicle / October 21st, 2004)

Doctor Peter Rost, A Vice President of Marketing with Pfizer Inc.

"Holding up a vote on importation, stopping good importation bills has a high, high cost not just in money, but in American lives. Every day we delay, Americans die because they cannot afford life-saving drugs."

Source: Insider Challenges Drug Industry on Imports (New York Times / September 24th, 2004)

Senator Byron L. Dorgan

"Miracle drugs offer no miracles for people who cannot take them (because of the cost)."

Source: Insider Challenges Drug Industry on Imports (New York Times / September 24th, 2004)

Doctor Peter Rost, A Vice President of Marketing with Pfizer Inc.

"Drugs from Canada are absolutely, positively safe... What has been said (by Internet opponents) about Canadian drugs is, quite frankly, insulting, I would think, if I were a Canadian. Let's get real. It's exactly the same product that the same (pharmaceutical) companies are selling in Canada that they are selling in the U.S."

Doctor Rost was quoted during a telephone interview with the Winnipeg Free Press. He said pharmaceutical companies are using safety to disguise their real motive of protecting profits. Rost has been working in the pharmaceutical industry for 20 years and said it's common for large drug firms in northern Europe to import cheaper drugs made in southern European countries.

Source: Canadian Net Drugs Safe (Globe Technology / September 17th, 2004)

Editor's Note:

Before joining Pfizer, Rost worked for Wyeth-Ayerst/Lederle Laboratories, serving as its director of European commercial operations from 1996 to 1998. During that time, he said, he never heard any European government or regulatory agency raise safety concerns.

Source: Surprise Support For Drug Importing - Pfizer Official Backs Montgomery Plan (Washington Post / September 14th, 2004)

Jean Chretien, Canada's Former Prime Minister

"Do you think we're crazy in Canada - that we would let people sell unsafe drugs?  Do you think that as prime minister I would face the Canadian people and say, 'Too bad, you know, but we don't inspect drugs?'... I hope you agree with me that we're not that uncivilized.  It's a very cheap argument that I have to reject very strongly."

Mr. Chretien was responding to a question about the FDA using the safety argument in their attempts to discourage citizens from buying discounted drugs from Canada.

Source: Chretien Defends Canadian Drugs (Des Moines Register / September 16th, 2004)

Doctor Peter Rost, A Vice President of Marketing with Pfizer Inc.

"[Drug importation] has been proven to be safe in Europe. The real concern about safety is about people who do not take drugs because they cannot afford it. The safety issue is a made-up story."

Doctor Peter Rost endorsed a proposal before the Montgomery County Council to allow county employees to buy lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada. He decided to support the concept because he was tired of hearing colleagues say the practice is a health risk.

Source: Surprise Support For Drug Importing - Pfizer Official Backs Montgomery Plan (Washington Post / September 14th, 2004)

Doctor Daniel Mongiardo, U.S. Senate Candidate

"(The new Medicare law) is the equivalent of forcing every American to purchase their car at sticker price. It's a blatant giveaway of taxpayer dollars to drug companies."

Doctor Mongiardo said that he would seek passage of a bill to require the federal government to use the buying power of the 42 million seniors in the Medicare program to negotiate cheaper drug prices and supports the re-importation of prescription drugs from Canada.

Source: Cutting Drug Costs Debated (Louisville Courier Journal / September 9th, 2004)

San Francisco Pharmacist John Gelinas

"I get people that are going online and checking prices and saying 'Wow, I can buy this drug up in Canada for a third of the price you're charging me here,' and I don't have anything to respond other than the fact that I say, 'Jeez, you better go do it.'"

Source: Drugstores Sue Makers Over Prices (CBS News / August 27th, 2004)

Connie Mack IV

At the core of America's prescription drug crisis is our antiquated trade policy with Canada and other nations that prohibits the importation of safe and proven prescription drugs. These trade barriers serve only to hurt the people who often need these medicines the most. Importing prescription drugs from Canada and other nations is one step that we can easily take toward making health care more affordable and available for everyone.

Source: Election 2004 - Connie Mack IV (The News Press / August 28th, 2004)

Councilman Daniel Rickenmann

"These aren't FDA-regulated drugs. Just like with wine, there's a high end and a low end. The low end is cheaper for a reason."

Councilman Rickenmann said this in opposition to importing prescription drugs from Canada. Let's examine the councilman's ridiculous attempt to cast doubt on the quality of lower-priced Canadian drugs.

Councilman Rickenmann's first sentence is correct. Fortunately for Canadians, all prescription drugs in Canada are regulated by Health Canada, not the FDA. Health Canada standards are stricter than FDA standards. There is no "fast track" approval and Health Canada often pulls harmful drugs off the market faster than the FDA.

For example, in the 1950's, Canada pulled birth defect causing Thalidomide off the market almost a year before the FDA finally acted. The depression treatment drug Serzone has already been pulled off the market in Canada and Western Europe because of possible liver damage but the generic equivalent continues to be sold in the United States with full FDA approval.

Perhaps if the FDA spent more time in the lab than they did on the road acting as big pharma's public relations division, they might be able to keep up with Canada and Western Europe.

Councilman Rickenmann's second and third sentences are, of course, absolute nonsense.

The price of wine depends on appellation, vintage, grape variety and other factors which alter the chemical composition (and thus qualities such as aroma and flavor) of the wine.

A certain drug, on the other hand, has the same active ingredients, strength and dosage - be it American, Canadian or generic equivalent. In some cases, the drug may look different in Canada but it is the same drug with identical active ingredients. If you are buying from a legitimate pharmacy, there is no "low end" or "high end" for prescription drugs in terms of quality, only in price.

While I disagree with councilman Rickenmann's unenlightened attempt to cast doubt on the quality of Canadian drugs, I do agree that they are cheaper for a reason - several reasons, in fact. To find out more, please read Why are Canadian Drug Prices Lower? in our Prices section.

Dr. Stephen Schondelmeyer

“A drug that one cannot afford is neither safe nor effective.”

Editor's Note:

The Kaiser Family Foundation has found that nearly thirty (30) percent of Americans over sixty who are prescribed drugs do not fill their prescriptions because they cannot afford to.

This quote by Dr. Schondelmeyer was originally posted to Canada Drug Talk on February 23rd, 2004, but I decided to repost it with this information from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Congressman Peter DeFazio

"I am pleased the Governor is taking action to relieve Oregonians from the debilitating costs of pharmaceutical drugs.  While reimportation is not a panacea, it will help ease the stress on seniors and others who can't afford to fill their prescriptions and pay their bills every month. While the Bush administration, in concert with well-connected drug companies have resorted to scare tactics, claiming reimported drugs from Canada were unsafe, the truth is that the drug supply chain in Canada is safer and more closely regulated than the drug supply chain in the U.S."

Mr. DeFazio was commenting on Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski's plan to import prescription drugs from Canada.

Source: Gov Pushes Feds on Canadian Drug Imports (Bend Bugle / August 19th, 2004)

Senator John F. Kerry

"Seniors deserve prescription drugs that are affordable, and they shouldn't be banned from buying less expensive drugs from Canada. We deserve better, and we can do better!"

Source: Medicare Law No Sure Fire Winner - Elderly Unhappy with Results (Pioneer Press, August 15th, 2004)

Brian Schweitzer

"Prescription drug prices are out of control.  In America, you shouldn't have to be rich just to afford your medicine."

Source: Schweitzer Offers Drug Plans (Billings Gazette / August 13th, 2004)

Senator John F. Kerry

"This isn't fair competition. It's a monopoly and its been put in place by George Bush and his friends and it's costing you a whole bunch of money and it's wrong."

Senator Kerry was speaking at a community center in Henderson, Nevada, where he attacked the new Medicare prescription-drug bill as a giveaway to pharmaceutical companies and said Americans should be allowed to import cheaper drugs from Canada. Kerry read from a price list of widely used prescription drugs that showed Americans paying upwards of three times as much as Canadians.

Source: Kerry, Bush Trade Barbs Across Southwest (The Repository / August 12th, 2004)

Senator Edward Kennedy

"For many medicines, price increases in just the last 12 months have already wiped out any savings that these (Medicare) cards may provide. The Bush Medicare bill is a sweetheart deal for big drug companies and a raw deal for senior citizens."

Source: The Bush Prescription (Independent Media TV / August 8th, 2004)

Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth

"Those who get their prescriptions through the VA pay a $7 co-pay. That's because the VA negotiates on behalf of all veterans. Yet we specifically prohibited Medicare from doing that for no good reason. For no good reason related to consumers and taxpayers.  There is rightful skepticism that the pharmaceutical industry isn't just making a profit. They're making a killing."

Source: Herseth Spells Out Plan to Cap Drug Premiums (Rapid City Journal / August 7th, 2004)

Montgomery County Council

"Canada's drug system is one of the world's safest. The concerns raised by the Food and Drug Administration and by the pharmaceutical industry are bogus, plain and simple... We have great respect for the FDA. However, the FDA is letting politics drive its science. Twice Congress has directed the agency to design a program for the safe re-importation of Canadian drugs. So far, nothing."

Source: Bring the Drugs from Canada (Washington Post / August 7th, 2004)

Rep. Lois Capps

"Seniors and the disabled - not the pharmaceutical companies - were supposed to be the beneficiaries of Medicare modernization."

Mrs. Capps said this after finding that seniors using the new Medicare drug discount cards are paying substantially more for prescriptions than if they used the Internet to buy drugs from Canada.  Medicare modernization not only failed to provide savings for seniors, it protects pharmaceutical companies because it bars Medicare from negotiating drug prices (like the government is able to do for federal agencies).

Source: Medicare Drug Cards Don't Save, Capps Says (Santa Barbara News Press / August 6th, 2004)

Gary Passmore, Executive Director of the Congress of California Seniors

"California seniors and consumers have been misled. They have been frightened by drug makers and misled by the FDA with claims that drugs from Canada are not safe."

Mr. Passmore was a member of a legislative fact-finding mission to Canada. The delegation - made up of California health officials, political aides and senior advocates - found that drugs on the shelves all had identification numbers indicating that Health Canada had approved them. They also found that pharmacists asked for patients' medical histories and analyzed the possibility of bad drug interactions when filling customer orders. The delegation concluded that prescription drugs purchased through Canadian Internet pharmacies are safe.

Source: Group Says Canadian Drugs Safe (Contra Costa Times / August 5th, 2004)

U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio

"We have free trade when jobs are being taken overseas, but not to bring drugs into this country from Canada."

Source: DeFazio Criticizes Medicare Cards (The News Review / August 4th, 2004)

Andy Troszok - President of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association

"You can make reimportation legal tomorrow, but if Canada can't supply, it's pretty much meaningless."

Mr. Troszok was referring to American drug manufacturers cutting off Canadian drug supplies in an attempt to deny US seniors access to cheaper prescription drugs. If you would like to help seniors living on a fixed income get the drugs they need at a reasonable price, please support the Dorgan-Snow bill now before the senate. This bill not only legalizes reimportation from Canada but also penalizes manufacturers who try to manipulate international drug supplies.

Source: The Miami Herald / August 4th, 2004

Senator Deborah Ortiz

"Much of the opposition to Canadian Internet pharmacies comes from large pharmaceutical companies that are floating unfounded horror stories about buying medication online."

Source: Californians Like Our Net Pharmacies (The Winnipeg Sun / July 28th, 2004)

Scott McKibbin, Illinois Special Advocate for Prescription Drugs

"In Canada, a pharmacist only has to count to one."

Mr. McKibbin was referring to the practice of U.S. pharmacists counting out the number of pills to fill prescriptions.  A team of doctors, pharmacists and public health professionals toured pharmacies in Canada.  They found that Canadian pharmacies are safer because they dispense drugs only in packages pre-sealed by the manufacturers.  That reduces the possibility of a pharmacist providing counterfeit drugs or mixing the wrong pills into the prescription.  They also found that safety requirements in Canada are equal to, and sometimes stricter than, regulations in U.S. and Illinois law.

Source: Illinois' Drug Chief Talks to W.Va. Panel About Canada Plan (The Charleston Gazette, July 29th, 2004)

Peter Wycoff, Minnesota Senior Federation

"Literally, it's our belief as the Senior Federation that the Canadian drug supply is safer than the U.S. drug supply."

Source: Minnesotans Take On Big Pharma
(Pulse of the Twin Cities, July 28th, 2004)

Peter Wycoff, Minnesota Senior Federation

"It's one of the very few areas of the health industry, even in America, that doesn't have some sort of regulation. We have a market system here that doesn't work; you don't have competition, you have over 50 percent of basic research being funded by the public; you have legalized monopolies through patent laws. Every other country in the industrialized world has said somewhere along the line that there ought to be some balance in the costs of these needed life-saving medications for its citizens."

Source: Minnesotans Take On Big Pharma
(Pulse of the Twin Cities, July 28th, 2004)

Senator Patrick Leahy

"Prescription drugs are a lifeline, not a luxury."

Rep. Bernie Sanders

"I will not ever forget the trip I took to Montreal in 1999, where women who were struggling with breast cancer were able to buy Tamoxifen, a widely prescribed breast cancer drug, at one-tenth the price they were forced to pay at home. This, Mr. Chairman, is nothing short of a moral outrage and if the (drug) industry had any shame whatsoever it would have discontinued such egregious price-gouging on its own years ago."

Source: Vermont Congressmen Lead Fight for Drug Imports (Bennington Banner / July 15, 2004)

Robert Fraser: Director of Pharmacy at CanadaDrugs.com

"(American pharmaceutical companies) are holding everybody hostage. They're holding Americans hostage with the prices they're charging in the United States. They're bordering on obscene. That's why a lot of Americans turn to Canada."

Said in regard to the crackdown by Pfizer and other American pharmaceutical companies on Canadian pharmacies that export to American consumers.

Source: U.S., Industry Crack Down on Drug Importation (News Day)

Senator Carl Levin

"Medicines purchased from Canada are as safe or safer than those purchased in the United States."

Senator Carl Levin made the comment after the General Accounting Office (the investigative arm of Congress) reported that all 18 Canadian sites they tried to purchase drugs from required consumers to supply a physician-written prescription before filling orders whereas only 5 of 29 U.S. pharmacies did.

Reference:
Narcotic Buys Easy Online, GAO Finds (Source: Dallas News / June 17, 2004)

David MacKay: Director of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association

"If you're going to rip the product out of grandma's hands then you should be prepared to take the public relations consequences, law or not."

Link to Article Removed (Dead Link)

Congressman Gil Gutknecht

"We know how many people have died from taking drugs from other countries. It’s a nice round number. It’s easy to remember. It’s zero. We know that you are more likely to become seriously ill from eating raspberries from Guatemala from the government’s statistics than you are from taking prescription drugs from Canada. We know today that five people in Western Pennsylvania have died from green onions from Mexico, and yet we know of no one who has died from taking prescription drugs from Canada or Mexico, and so the safety argument I think is widely and wildly exaggerated..."

Source: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Drug Importation, November 20, 2003
(Warning: PDF File)

Note: This transcript was created by the Kaiser Family Foundation. It was originally hosted on their website (http://www.kaisernetwork.org/ health_cast/ uploaded_files/ 112003_senatecom_di_transcr.pdf) but on April 19, 2004, I discovered it to be a broken link. As a service to our readers, I have taken the liberty of providing a mirror file on CanadaDrugTalk. If the original link comes back online I will reinstate it as soon as possible and remove this mirrored file. Please contact me if you are the copyright owner and would like me to remove it from CanadaDrugTalk. Thank you for your kind understanding.

Robert Becker

"There has never been one documented incident of an American that has suffered any form of injury by medication re-imported from Canada. Yet Big Pharma and political opponents of drug re-importation from Canada continue to fear monger the issue of safety. Big pharma is actually creating safety issues by limiting Americans access to their products with their price gouging."