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Medicare Drug Program News
U.S. Doors are Opening for Cheaper Canadian Drugs as
Customs Stops Seizing Shipments
Congress also okayed citizens carrying in 90-day supply from Canada
 October 5, 2006 – The pressure on drug companies to
lower their prices on prescription drugs continues to increase, with the
latest action being an announcement by U.S. Custom and Border Protection
officials that they will stop seizing prescription drugs sent by mail to
U.S. residents from Canadian pharmacies. They said the move is because
they are focusing their efforts elsewhere, but certainly some influence
must have come from the near unanimous approval last Friday by Congress
of a provision to allow U.S. residents to transport personally as much
as a 90-day supply medications from Canada.
This was a provision added to a $34.8 billion
fiscal year 2007 Homeland Security appropriations bill (HR
5441). The House voted 412-6 to pass the legislation, and the
Senate later by voice vote approved the bill. The prescription drugs
from Canada must be
FDA-approved
medication.
The FDA has remained quiet and still promotes their
actions to block imported drugs. To read the FDA page on drug
importation actions –
click here.
KaiserNet.org's daily report provides more on the
change in policy by custom officials.
 U.S.
Customs Officers Stop Seizing Mailed Prescription Drugs Purchased From
Canada
U.S. Customs and
Border Protection officials on Tuesday said that as of Oct. 9
they will no longer seize prescription drugs sent by mail to U.S.
residents from Canadian pharmacies, the Wall Street Journal reports (Carreyrou,
Wall Street Journal, 10/4).
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 October 5, 2006 – Wal-Mart today says it is
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White House, Pharmaceutical Companies Losing Battle
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Congressional negotiators
finding way to
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September 22, 2006 – With a wave of companies, like
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another opportunity for senior citizens to save on the cost of their
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Read more...
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Customs officials have seized thousands of packages
of prescription drugs sent from Canadian pharmacies to U.S. residents
since Nov. 17, 2005, when the agency began to increase enforcement of
federal laws that restrict the purchase of medications from abroad.
The purchase of prescription drugs from abroad is
illegal, but customs and
FDA
officials generally have allowed the practice (Kaiser
Daily Health Policy Report, 7/12).
As of mid-July, Customs officials had seized more
than 37,000 packages. However, the seizures "had come under fire from
lawmakers for depriving tens of thousands of American seniors of their
drugs and protecting the high prices charged by U.S. pharmaceutical
companies," the Journal reports (Wall Street Journal, 10/4).
In an e-mail sent on Monday to some lawmakers,
Customs officials said that they will end the seizures and will begin to
test random packages for counterfeit prescription drugs and medications
with ineffective ingredients on "randomly generated days throughout the
fiscal year" (Girion,
Los Angeles Times,
10/4).
Comments
Lynn Hollinger, a Customs spokesperson, said, "We just decided to focus
our resources differently. We are still very committed to protecting the
American public from these medications" (LaMendola,
South Florida
Sun-Sentinel, 10/4).
A
Department of
Homeland Security spokesperson in a statement said, "While we
are reversing this policy, (Customs and Border Protection) remains
committed, in cooperation with the FDA, to protecting the American
public from unsafe and ineffective medications. We will be focusing our
resources to best protect the American public."
An FDA spokesperson declined to comment on the
decision to end the seizures.
Reaction
Jodi Reid, director of the
California Alliance
for Retired Americans, said, "People were concerned that they
might not get their drugs because they were getting seized." Reid added,
"This does open that option again for people who were trying to figure
out how to get their medications to manage their health at a price they
can afford" (Los Angeles Times, 10/4).
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said, "This is a huge
victory. For nearly a year, the White House has been punishing seniors
for filling their prescriptions at lower Canadian prices." Nelson added,
"Now it looks like the government it getting out of the business of
harassing these consumers."
However, Ken Johnson, senior vice president of the
Pharmaceutical
Research and Manufacturers of America, raised concerns about
the decision to end the seizures. "We're adamantly opposed to any
importation schemes. Fake drugs are a very serious problem that is real
and growing," he said (Wall Street Journal, 10/4).
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