“Safe” Country Focus: United Kingdom

November 13, 2009

As my colleague Thomas Kubic recently noted, most supporters of drug importation have a faulty assumption that developed countries like Canada, Australia, Japan and the 27 members of the European Union (E.U.) are insulated from the global threat of counterfeit drugs. In the coming weeks, we will take a closer look at some of these so-called “safe” countries and illustrate why there is no such thing as a “safe” country when it comes to drug importation.

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No Such Thing as a “Safe Country” for Drug Importation

September 3, 2009

With talks about drug importation continuing in Congress, drug importation supporters argue that if the United States allows importation only from “safe countries,” such as Canada and the United Kingdom, than most of drug safety concerns would be eliminated. However, when it comes to drug importation, there is no such thing as a “safe” country.

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To Import or Not To Import

June 11, 2009

That is the question that many of our lawmakers are asking. Senators Dorgan (D-ND), Snowe (R-ME), McCain (R-AZ) and Stabenow (D-MI) brought that question to the forefront when they introduced the “Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act of 2009” (S. 525) in March. Currently waiting to be placed on the Senate calendar, the bill would allow for prescription drug importation.

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Is Drug Safety in the U.S. Moving in the Right Direction?

May 14, 2009

Protecting the public’s health is an important part of the part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) job. And on May 7, the FDA proposed several measures that would allow the agency to better regulate the safety of Americans’ food and medical products. The FDA request for the President’s fiscal year 2010 budget asks for $3.2 billion to protect and promote public health. This figure, which is a 19 percent increase from the current FDA fiscal year budget, is a significant step towards the direction of a safer pharmaceutical supply chain.

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Drug Importation: Small Savings at a Large Cost

April 2, 2009

Supporters of drug importation like to cite the statistic that if the United States were to permit drug importation, it would reduce total drug spending by $40 billion over 10 years. This figure is from the 2004 Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issue brief on drug importation.

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The Last Line of Defense Against Counterfeit Drugs

March 19, 2009

Recently, there has been talk in our nation’s Capitol about overhauling the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) presence both in the United States and abroad. This is an important step in improving the safety of prescription medications from the global public health threat of counterfeit drugs and the untold harm they cause unsuspecting consumers. But, with limited budget and resources, will the FDA be able to pull off the task?

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Consumer Protection Group Opposes Drug Importation Bill

March 5, 2009

Partnership for Safe Medicines speaks clearly about the dangers of importing prescription drugs from Canada in its statement regarding the proposed “Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act” sponsored by Senators Dorgan (D-ND), Snowe (R-ME), McCain (R-AZ) and Stabenow (D-MI), which would allow for prescription drug importation.

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