[Ip-health] U.S. to Stop Seizing Canadian Drug Imports

Fri Oct 6 12:36:02 2006

Thanks to Sean Flynn for sending this.

Starting October 9, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection will stop
seizing lower-priced prescription medications mailed from Canada. Forty
thousand Americans have ordered prescription drugs from Canada since
November 2005, only to have the medicines seized by authorities. Customs
said the agency would no longer intercept the drugs or issue letters to
postal carriers warning of the illegality of importing prescription
medications. The new policy will allow Americans to import small amounts
of prescription drugs - approximately a 90-day supply - reversing a
policy that began last November--around the time enrollment began for
the Medicare drug plan.

Customs spokeswoman Lynn Hollinger said that the policy change was due
to political pressure from lawmakers and people who complained they were
no longer receiving their medicine. U.S. officials previously claimed
that the Canadian shipments had been confiscated due to concerns about
the drugs' safety, but critics alleged that the crackdown was intended
to limit competition in the pharmaceutical market and encourage seniors
to sign up for new Medicare plans.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15127747/

U.S. to stop seizing Canadian drug imports
New policy allows seniors to order cheaper prescriptions through the mail

Updated: 12:39 a.m. ET Oct 4, 2006

ORLANDO, Fla. - The federal government will stop seizing small amounts
of lower-priced prescription medications mailed from Canada, officials said=
.

Since November 2005, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents have
seized prescription drugs that 40,000 Americans had ordered from Canada,
Sen. Bill Nelson noted on Tuesday. The new policy, which takes effect
Oct. 9, was announced in an e-mail from the Department of Homeland
Security to congressional staff Monday, Nelson said.

Customs spokeswoman Lynn Hollinger confirmed the policy change Tuesday,
saying the agency would no longer intercept the drugs or issue letters
to postal carriers indicating it is illegal to import prescription
medications. She said the policy change was due to political pressure
from lawmakers and people who complained they were no longer receiving
their medicine.

Nelson said that the new policy will allow Americans to import small
amounts of prescription drugs =97 roughly a 90-day supply.

"It=92s a great victory, particularly for the senior citizens who are
having difficulty making financial ends meet in a time in which, sadly,
some senior citizens have to make a decision between buying their
prescription drugs and buying their groceries," Nelson said.

The change means that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will resume
oversight of the importation of prescription drugs. Before Customs took
over enforcement the FDA largely ignored the importation of small
amounts of prescription drugs.

Focus on illegal drugs
It is still illegal to import prescription drugs from abroad, but Nelson
said he received assurances from the FDA that the agency will not act on
small drug shipments for individuals.

Nelson, a Democrat who is running for re-election against Republican
challenger Katherine Harris, has railed against Customs=92 involvement
since receiving a complaint from a couple whose shipments were intercepted.

He and Sen. David Vitter, R-La., tried to amend a Homeland Security
appropriations bill to allow U.S. residents to import small amounts of
prescription drugs for personal use. But that bill, which was sent to
President Bush this weekend, would only allow Americans crossing the
Canadian border to bring back small amounts of prescription drugs.

Nelson said the FDA will focus on large shipments of drugs that are
likely being imported for illegal purposes.

The FDA, however, could not yet say whether it will step up oversight of
mail-ordered drugs from Canada.

"We haven=92t heard from Customs yet =97 and when we do, we can decide what
our next course of action is," FDA spokeswoman Cathy McDermott said. "We
continue to be concerned about the risk of importing foreign drugs."

--
Judit Rius Sanjuan
judit.rius at cptech.org
www.cptech.org

Consumer Project on Technology
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