Importation
Canadian law enforcement: Smugglers will exploit importation to traffic counterfeit medicine
In this editorial, which was published in Colorado Politics on April 17, 2019, Don Bell, a 30-year veteran of Canadian law enforcement and border protection, warns that Canadian drug importation will open the U.S. to counterfeit medicine and exacerbate drug shortages in Canada.
[...]The Wall Street Journal’s Editorial Board Comes Out Against Drug Importation
The editorial board of the The Wall Street Journal published this editorial on April 15, 2019. In it, they write:
“The argument that drug importation threatens the integrity of the drug supply is often dismissed because pharmaceutical lobbyists make it. But keeping the drug supply free from contaminated or counterfeit products is not easy, and the World Health Organization has warned that 1 in 10 medical products in the developing world are phony. It isn’t clear who is liable if counterfeits are found in Florida, but you can bet it won’t be the politicians.”
[...]Drug importation makes law enforcement’s job harder, says former FDA-OCI director
In this editorial, which was published in The Gadsden Times on April 11, 2019, former FDA-OCI director George Karavetsos points out the real dangers of drug importation:
“Even today, Americans are being hurt and even dying because of counterfeit medications being imported into this country. Adding insult to injury, while some might point to Canada as being a safe source, counterfeit medications are transshipped through Canada from other countries in remote corners of the globe.”
[...]North Carolina Man Who Imported Counterfeit Xanax from Canada Sentenced to 2 Extra Days in Prison in Sled Border-Crossing Case
The News and Record has reported about a North Carolina resident, Yazid Al Fayyad Finn, who was arrested in 2018 for his part in a plot to steal a 200 pound shipment of counterfeit Xanax that was being smuggled across the Quebec-Vermont border.
[...]PRESS RELEASE: Over 100 Organizations Representing Law Enforcement Officers, Healthcare Professionals, Patient Advocates Urge White House and Congress to Reject Prescription Drug Importation
WASHINGTON (April 8, 2019) – As members of Congress and leaders in the executive branch consider steps to allow wholesale importation of prescription medications, organizations representing consumers, employers, healthcare professionals, patients, and law enforcement officers, among others, are insisting that such proposals, if implemented, would endanger the health and safety of the communities throughout the country…
[...]Over 100 advocacy organizations urge WH and Congress not to endanger Americans with importation of non-FDA approved drugs
Dear President Donald J. Trump, members of the United States Senate, and members of the United States House of Representatives:
As organizations that represent thousands of law enforcement, healthcare professionals, patient advocates, taxpayer organizations, business groups, and consumer interest groups, we are writing to express our deep concerns with and opposition to proposals to import non-FDA-approved medications that would endanger the health and safety of our communities…
[...]Tampa Pharmacist Speaks Out Against Florida’s Drug Importation Proposal
This editorial by Dan Fucarino was published in Florida Politics on April 1, 2019. Mr Fucarino is the owner and a pharmacist at Carrollwood Compounding Center & Pharmacy.
“The monetary rewards of Canadian prescriptions are just not worth their safety risks,” he warns. “I urge Florida legislators to listen to health care experts on this issue rather than the understandable populist appeals and vote no on this dangerous legislation — and then get back to working on more productive ways to lower drug prices for Floridians. Thousands of Americans have been injured or killed by imported prescription drugs.”
[...]Maine Pharmacist to Colorado: We found that importation doesn’t deliver quality or savings
In this March 28, 2019 editorial for the La Junta Tribune-Democrat, Maine pharmacist Amelia Arnold explains her state’s experience with drug importation: “It is a concept that makes big promises in terms of quality and cost savings that it cannot, and will not, deliver on for the people of Colorado.”
[...]Sheriff of Larimer County, Colorado: Importing prescription drugs could be dangerous
These dangerous drugs get trafficked into Colorado and present a clear and present danger to unsuspecting citizens, who can die from simply ingesting what they think are safe medications. Importing foreign drugs would open a loophole, which increases the chance these dangerous counterfeits enter America unbeknownst to us all.
[...]Pacific Research Institute CEO Begs Florida to Keep Counterfeit Drugs out of The State
Counterfeits coming from Canada have been a big issue in the Sunshine State. The FDA has identified dozens of counterfeit drugs coming into Florida from foreign pharmacies.
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