Importation
Former FBI Director Discusses the Dangers of Allowing Drug Importation in Radio Interview
Freeh warned that allowing drug importation from Canada was akin to allowing drugs to be imported from anywhere. Quality would be at risk, and the opioid crisis, an epidemic that killed over 33,000 Americans in 2015, would only get worse. He said that allowing drug importation, “…will not only fuel that, but it will also, in my opinion, encourage a lot of criminal groups and organizations that heretofore have not been involved in this trade, but will see huge opportunities to enter the market.”
[...]Biotechnology Innovation Organization CEO Warns Against Drug Importation
In a July 14, 2017 editorial for STAT, Jim Greenwood, the president and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), reminds us that the safety risks of buying prescription medicines from other countries are real:
“The debate about drug importation has been underway for decades. Those who support it have never advanced a responsible plan that would provide the same level of health and safety protections that the FDA has delivered for decades. Its rigorous system of rules and protocols ensure that prescription drugs in this country are safe and effective. It protects those high standards by preventing the sale of imported prescription drugs that are not approved for use in the U.S.”
[...]Maine pharmacist: U.S. lawmakers should say no to drug import legislation
A few years ago, Maine introduced similar legislation that allowed patients to buy drugs from foreign pharmacies. We, too, wanted to provide patients with lower-cost medicines.
It proved to be a big mistake. Instead of getting drugs from Canada, we got dangerous and ineffective counterfeit pills from other countries. Maine’s disastrous experience with counterfeit Canadian drug imports should serve as a lesson to our lawmakers to say no to drug importation legislation.
[...]Former Head of FDA-OCI: “Proposed drug importation law will worsen U.S. opioid epidemic”
The Philadelphia Inquirer published this editorial by George M. Karavetsos, a partner with the global law form DLA Piper, and former director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations.
Proposed Drug Importation Law Will Worsen U.S. Opioid Epidemic
More than 60,000 Americans died from drug overdoses last year. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 100 times more powerful than morphine, caused one-fifth of those fatalities. Local law enforcement and health professionals are working at a feverish pace to prevent fatal overdoses. Even librarians in drug-plagued neighborhoods . . .
Executive Director of Cameron Institute “The Hidden Danger Of Loosening Regulations On Prescription Imports”
Investor’s Business Daily published this editorial by D. Wayne Taylor, Executive Director of the Cameron Institute, a not-for-profit, public policy think tank specializing in the independent study of health, social and economic issues both in Canada and around the world.
[...]FDA Regulation Keeps Both our Food and Medicines Safe
When policymakers talk about drug importation, they often make comparisons to importation of food. “If we can import produce safely,” they say, “don’t tell me we can’t import medicine.”
The truth is that importing food safely is difficult. The stakes are even higher when we import medicine: no one expects lettuce to cure cancer . . .
[...]CanadaDrugs Case Affidavit Reveals Disregard for Patient Safety
Timeline Leading to the Extradition of CanadaDrugs PrincipalsImage courtesy of Legitscript.com According to CBC News, new information has come to light in the case against six executives of CanadaDrugs.com. The company, its affiliates, and associates in the United Kingdom and Barbados stand accused of illegally importing and selling $78 million worth of unapproved, misbranded and…
[...]National Medical Association: “Minority Communities Need Better Health Care, Not Counterfeit Drugs”
On June 23, 2017, MorningConsult published this editorial by Garfield Clunie and Richard Williams. Clunie is the chairman of the board of the National Medical Association, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit that represents African American physicians and their patients. Williams is the organization’s president.
[...]Canadian Online Pharmacy Retains Canadian License Despite U.S. Allegations of Selling $78 Million in Fake Drugs to Americans
Online pharmacy Canada Drugs, under indictment for selling millions of dollars worth of fake and misbranded cancer medications to U.S. medical offices, still retains its license to operate from the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba, according to CBC’s Karen Pauls. Despite accusations from U.S. federal prosecutors for allegedly selling $78 million of unapproved, misbranded and…
[...]State Boards of Pharmacy weigh in against importing drugs from Canada
Pharmacy boards, which ensure the safety of prescription medicines at the state level, have been sending letters to Congress to expressing significant safety concerns about legislation that would legalize drug importation.
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