A judge says 'no' to drugs from Canada

UPI ^ | 11/7/03

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Nov. 7 (UPI) -- A federal judge has granted a Bush administration request, ordering the closing of stores that help people buy lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada.

U.S. District Judge Claire Eagan in Tulsa issued a preliminary injunction Thursday, saying the Rx Depot chain violates the law and cannot ensure the safety of the products it's selling.

Rx Depot operates 85 stores in 26 states.

USA Today said the ruling might also give pause to some cash-strapped local and state governments, considering purchasing drugs from Canada to save money related to employee medical costs or state Medicaid programs.

Rx Depot President Carl Moore vowed to appeal the ruling. His lawyers argued the Food and Drug Administration has selectively enforced the law, taking action against his stores, but allowing residents to walk across the border to buy prescriptions or purchase them on their own via the Internet.

USA Today also said the ruling will likely fuel Congressional debate over whether to expand the ability of U.S. residents to buy from foreign countries, a move that is strongly opposed by the drug industry.

[Reeses]

Part of the reason drugs are cheaper in Mexico and Canada is there are no lotto sized legal payouts for product liability. If we want dramatically cheaper drugs we need to cut the lawyers off. And this will also cut off a major money flow to the Democrat Mafia.

[TheCrusader]

A federal judge has granted a Bush administration request, ordering the closing of stores that help people buy lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada. U.S. District Judge Claire Eagan in Tulsa issued a preliminary injunction Thursday, saying the Rx Depot chain violates the law and cannot ensure the safety of the products it's selling.

I feel all warm and fuzzy now that I know President Bush and Judge Eagan are thinking of my safety.

[Masked Conservative]

It's terrible the way the Canadians are ripping of the American people. It costs billions of dollars not only from the companies, but govt research grants to make these medications...and then the Canadians get to set the price?

The Canadians are causeing the price of healthcare to go up in this country because now the drug companies need charge Americnas more to make a profit.

The only reason the Canadian socialized-medicine works is because rich Canadians cross the boarder into the United States to get healthcare. The poorer Canadians sometimes have to wait a few weeks to get their operations. The Canadian healthcare system is hopelessly broken and I am sick of subsidizing someone elses healthcare. One wonders what people in every other industrial country do to get the healthcare they need since they can't drive to the US for treatment.

[Sender]

So true. Lawyers and liability (and sometimes wildly popular items like Viagra) drive our drug prices through the roof. I'm willing to chance that foreign drugs are 99% perfect if they cost half as much.

[CHUCKfromCAL]

OK, I will fess up. I and many other Americans buy drugs from Canada. The heart medication I take costs about $300.00 per month from Walgreens and $267.00 for three months supply from Canada. Same manufacturer, bottle and label.

Some, here on free republic, have expressed concern that the Canadians are ripping off the US consumers because Canada negotiates drug price agreements with the drug manufacturers (in the same way large HMOs do.) I assume the manufacturers would elect not to sell their drugs to the Canadians if they thought it was not profitable.

The idea that in the US there is a free market for drugs is not true. The drug companies have developed many layers of government price protection over the years - not the least of which is the FDA and the extended patent and copyright laws.

But the discussion of the federal government's protection of drug companies US profits won't fit here.

Enough to say that the Bush Administration and the Courts are doing their best to discourage lower priced drugs from Canada. These efforts will eventually fail, either because Congress changes the laws or because a black market will develop.

I the mean time write your Senator and Congress Critter and tell them to stop the drug price fixing in the US.

[Fee]

It is funny. Corporations can treat their workers like free market commodities. If your labor costs too much, they can immediately hire a foreign worker or outsource you in a heart beat. Free trade they say. Now if their product is sold overseas at fraction of their domestic price. You order it via internet. The corporations say it is not fair. You respond by saying "free trade". They respond with politicians and judges, no free trade for their products but definitely free trade when it comes to your job. Keep this up, and there will be revolution in our grandchildrens' lifetime.