U.S. House reaches agreement on Canadian drugs: Knowledge Driven Revolution

U.S. legislators have agreed on a tentative deal that will let Americans buy prescription drugs in Canada and bring them across the border — but it won't apply to online or mail-order purchases.

The agreement, reached by the House of Representatives on Thursday, would let Americans carry up to a 90-day supply of medication back to the United States without it being seized by customs agents.

U.S. border authorities, under the Homeland Security Department, began aggressively clamping down on the practice two years ago, using anti-terrorism laws to seize Lipitor, Tamiflu, Viagra and other prescription drugs purchased in Canada by Americans.

Senator David Vitter — who proposed the drug policy and helped it get the Senate's approval in a 68-32 vote in July — said he was pleased that the House of Representatives approved of the deal.

"This really breaks the dam and it shows that it's only a matter of time before we pass a full-blown reimportation bill," said Senator David Vitter, a Republican from Louisiana.

Many of Vitter's fellow Republicans saw the drug policy, part of a bill to fund Homeland Security in 2007, as about more than just dollars and cents.

The United States also bans imports of prescription drugs bought on the internet and via mail order. Brand-name drugs cost on average 35 per cent to 55 per cent less in other industrialized nations than in the United States, according to a U.S. government study.

"There are a lot of us who believe that importation of drugs is a security issue — it's an issue that is a threat to the health of Americans," Representative Eric Cantor, a Republican from Virginia, said on Wednesday.

Vitter acknowledged that the sales of drugs through mail order or online remains a significant issue.

"I think support for that is going to continue and going to continue to grow, no matter what this bill says or doesn't say," he said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Americans in late August not to buy drugs online from a Manitoba-based internet pharmacy, claiming the drugs were counterfeit.

Representatives of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association have accused the FDA of using scaremongering tactics, arguing that the release did not provide supporting evidence to back up the claim.

U.S. President George W. Bush and his predecessor, Bill Clinton, both rejected repeated congressional efforts to lift the ban on prescription imports.

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HOME V for Vendetta - R for Reality Canadian Bird Flu Pandemic Looming ? Shill of the Week: Stephan Harper Aspartame: The Sweetest Killer Chicken Little Terrorist of the Week: Creating Fake Terrorists Shill of the Week: Paul Martin The Number 1 Reason YOU became a Slave	U.S. House reaches agreement on Canadian drugs CBC News September 25, 2006 U.S. legislators have agreed on a tentative deal that will let Americans buy prescription drugs in Canada and bring them across the border — but it won't apply to online or mail-order purchases. The agreement, reached by the House of Representatives on Thursday, would let Americans carry up to a 90-day supply of medication back to the United States without it being seized by customs agents. U.S. border authorities, under the Homeland Security Department, began aggressively clamping down on the practice two years ago, using anti-terrorism laws to seize Lipitor, Tamiflu, Viagra and other prescription drugs purchased in Canada by Americans. Senator David Vitter — who proposed the drug policy and helped it get the Senate's approval in a 68-32 vote in July — said he was pleased that the House of Representatives approved of the deal. "This really breaks the dam and it shows that it's only a matter of time before we pass a full-blown reimportation bill," said Senator David Vitter, a Republican from Louisiana. Many of Vitter's fellow Republicans saw the drug policy, part of a bill to fund Homeland Security in 2007, as about more than just dollars and cents. The United States also bans imports of prescription drugs bought on the internet and via mail order. Brand-name drugs cost on average 35 per cent to 55 per cent less in other industrialized nations than in the United States, according to a U.S. government study. "There are a lot of us who believe that importation of drugs is a security issue — it's an issue that is a threat to the health of Americans," Representative Eric Cantor, a Republican from Virginia, said on Wednesday. Vitter acknowledged that the sales of drugs through mail order or online remains a significant issue. "I think support for that is going to continue and going to continue to grow, no matter what this bill says or doesn't say," he said. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Americans in late August not to buy drugs online from a Manitoba-based internet pharmacy, claiming the drugs were counterfeit. Representatives of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association have accused the FDA of using scaremongering tactics, arguing that the release did not provide supporting evidence to back up the claim. U.S. President George W. Bush and his predecessor, Bill Clinton, both rejected repeated congressional efforts to lift the ban on prescription imports. Read the full article here Broken Link? If the link to the original article is broken or has been altered you can view the article by clicking here. About KDR \| \| Home \| \| Weekly Features Archive	Weekly Features Archive
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