Despite the best of efforts of Big Pharma and its paid lackeys to spread disinformation about the safety of Canadian pharmacies, it looks like Americans soon may finally be able to legally purchase drugs from Canada. At least, that will be the case if the Dorgan-Snowe Drug Importation Bill, scheduled to be reintroduced [...]]]>

Despite the best of efforts of Big Pharma and its paid lackeys to spread disinformation about the safety of Canadian pharmacies, it looks like Americans soon may finally be able to legally purchase drugs from Canada. At least, that will be the case if the Dorgan-Snowe Drug Importation Bill, scheduled to be reintroduced later this month, passes Congress and is signed by President Obama, as many expect.

Seniors advocates, however, are upset that the bill doesn’t also allow consumers to purchase drugs from other Tier One countries, such as Australia and New Zealand. In fact, the FDA recently seized a number of shipments of drugs from these countries at LAX, which has advocates up in arms.

Publishers of some of the Web’s most widely read sites for seniors — Frank Kaiser of www.SuddenlySenior.com, Michael Garee of www.YouMightBeGettingOldIf.com, and Daniel Hines of www.TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com — have joined forces to issue a statement, excerpted below:

Spurred by seizures at Los Angeles International Airport of vital doctor-prescribed prescription medicines from legitimate pharmacies in Australia and New Zealand to U.S. citizens, the publishers of three Seniors’ websites today called for President Obama to order the Food and Drug Administration to halt the arbitrary seizures and to resume the flow of the safe, affordable medicines to U.S. seniors and others…

“These medications are vital to the health of huge numbers of Americans,” they noted in a joint statement. “Ironically, similar seizures occurred several years ago, leading to heavy criticism by Senators and Representatives, and the threat of Congressional investigations of the seizures.

“Especially disturbing is that the FDA temporarily returned to the heavy-handed techniques of threatening letters to the U.S. citizens whose doctor-prescribed medications were seized, suggesting that they are in violation of U.S. law.

“These letters later were softened, hopefully an indication that the FDA realizes that such intimidation is unacceptable. However, the newer letters claim the reason for the seizures is they are of new unapproved medicines when actually all are manufactured at FDA-approved facilities, and include even Lipitor.”

The publishers appealed to President Obama to reaffirm his support for Americans being able to continue to purchase safe, affordable prescription medicines from Tier One countries, whose regulatory oversights meet or even exceed those of the U.S., by ordering the FDA to cease and desist.

“The President has been supportive of allowing U.S. citizens to have their prescriptions filled from pharmacies in Tier One countries,” the statement says. “Such physician-prescribed medicines from licensed, authorized pharmacies have been proven to be affordable and safe.

“That the FDA, which has drawn additional scrutiny of its effectiveness because of the outbreak of Salmonella caused by oversight failures at a domestic manufacturer of peanut-based products should devote its energies to denying Americans access to safe, affordable prescription medicines is unacceptable and incomprehensible.

“That the seizures occur when increasing numbers of Americans forego taking medications because they pay the highest prices in the world for prescription medicines, in addition to being burdened with a depressed economy, is intolerable.

“President Obama can resolve this by immediately calling for the cessation of the seizures.”

While the pharmacies in the eDrugSearch.com network are primarily Canadian, we do currently include one Australian pharmacy, and we certainly agree with these publishers that Americans should have access to medications from all Tier One countries. We’ll be following the Dorgan-Snowe bill closely and will keep you up to date on its progress.