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Battle Over Imported Drugs Heats Up
Alabama News Conference Supported by Canadian Group
Accused of Making Fast Cash on the Side by Countrymen
May 5, 2004 That
battle over imported drugs heated up today with a press conference in
Montgomery, Alabama, to protest the city purchasing lower priced
imported prescription drugs for its employees. Leading the attack is the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Association of Boards
of Pharmacy (NABP), Alabama State Board of Pharmacy (ALBOP) Alabama
Pharmacy Association (APA), and a Canadian pharmacy group that has been
challenged by the national pharmacy group in their own county.
During a press
conference at the State Capitol, officials from the four organizations
unveiled the "Looks Can Be Deceiving" campaign which includes over
630,000 posters, flyers and prescription bag inserts that will be
distributed statewide. The FDA sponsored materials will be distributed
to 730 pharmacies across Alabama. They say this the launch of a
comprehensive consumer education campaign to warn Alabamians about the
dangers of illegal drug importation.
Last month, The
Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA) said they uncovered
proof that two Manitoba pharmacists who are leaders of the Pharmacy
Alliance for Canadians (PAC), a group strongly opposed to Canadian mail
order pharmacies selling drugs to American consumers, are, themselves,
willing to provide prescription drugs to U.S. patients. They also are
founders of Coalition for Manitoba Pharmacy, which joined the Alabama
protest.
CIPA says the two
offending pharmacists are Greg Skura, owner of Super Thrifty Drug Mart
in Virden, MB, and Lothar Dueck, owner of Vita Drugs in Vita, MB. They
are officials with two vocal groups against Canadian drugs for
Americans, serving as co-founders of the Coalition for Manitoba Pharmacy
and founding members of the new Pharmacy Alliance for Canadians
We have caught
them with their hands in the cookie jar, acting as complete hypocrites,
explains David MacKay, Executive Director for the Canadian International
Pharmacy Association. Obviously, their opposition to Canadian drugs
for needy Americans doesnt keep them from making fast cash on the side
and recruiting big drug companies to their supposed cause.
In January 2004, FDA
announced that a series of examinations of imported drugs found that of
1,982 inspected parcels, 89 percent contained unapproved drugs. This
included so- called "foreign-versions" of FDA-approved drugs, recalled
drugs, drugs requiring special storage conditions, drugs requiring close
physician monitoring and drugs containing addictive controlled
substances. This "snap" inspection follows an inspection in July and
August 2003 that found 88 percent of the 1,153 imported drug products
studied contained unapproved medications.
"FDA takes very
seriously the safety threats posed to Americans by the importation of
prescription drugs," said Tom McGinnis, Director of Pharmacy Affairs for
FDA. "We know that importing drugs from foreign countries, whether via
the Internet or any other medium, is putting the health of Americans in
jeopardy. FDA is concerned about the strength, quality and purity of
these medicines because they may have no FDA oversight. They are
unapproved for U.S. consumption and may even be counterfeit. FDA's
responsibility is to safeguard public health. That is why we, in
conjunction with NABP, ALBOP and APA, have set up the 'Looks Can Be
Deceiving' campaign to educate consumers on the very serious dangers of
importing prescription drugs."
FDA, pharmacists and
pharmacy regulatory officials across the country are increasingly
concerned about the safety risks incurred by individuals who import
prescription drugs from foreign countries, according to a news release
from the protest group.
"The dangers of
illegally importing and consuming prescription drugs from foreign
Internet sites affect all Americans," said Carmen A. Catizone, MS, RPh,
DPH, NABP Executive Director. "Alabamians need to know that while on the
surface Internet importation may look like a reasonable solution to
accessing affordable medications, it is actually a danger that could
severely impact the health care and economic systems of the U.S. Just
imagine if even one supply of contaminated or counterfeit medicines
entered the US drug supply. There would be significant nationwide
concern as no one would be certain which medications were safe to be
consumed."
"Politicians
promoting importation of prescription medicines from Canada are not
giving American patients the facts," said Michele Fontaine, B.Sc. (Pharm.),
Vice President of the Coalition for Manitoba Pharmacy. "Not only is
importation completely unworkable as a policy, given the relative
populations of Canada and the U.S., but it also puts Americans at
increased risk of receiving unregulated drugs. Equally importantly, it
fragments the pharmacy care American patients receive, which is not
safe, particularly for patients with chronic health conditions."
Moreover, Canadian opponents of importation believe the practice of
importation will put the drug supply in Canada at risk as demand rises
for limited products increases the likelihood of adulterated medicines
from third world countries entering the Canadian drug supply.
This issue of
importing prescription drugs has become increasingly contentious in
Alabama as the city of Montgomery continues to break state and federal
law by supplying employees with imported medicines. Further inflaming
the issue, two Medicaid officials from the State met with
representatives from five Canadian drug companies last year. "Importing
prescription drugs into Alabama threatens the health and well being of
all Alabamians," said Jerry Moore, RPh, FAPhA, JD, ALBOP Executive
Director. "As health care professionals, we have an obligation to inform
the good people of this state about the very grave consequences
associated with importation, and that is why ALBOP is taking part in the
'Looks Can Be Deceiving' campaign."
"Knowing the
importance of educating Alabamians on the dangers of prescription drug
importation, we are pleased to join with FDA, NABP and ALBOP to present
the 'Looks Can Be Deceiving' campaign throughout the state," said Kerry
Pickett, RPh, President-elect of the APA. "As pharmacists, we are
trained to not only safely dispense medications, but also look for
harmful prescription drug interactions. When individuals order products
from foreign sources, especially over the Internet, they lose this
safeguard." |
