U.S. Prescription-Drug Imports Would Be Allowed in Bill Introduced Today

[Purveyor]

Source: Bloomberg

By Robert Greene

March 4 (Bloomberg) -- Prescription-drug imports would be allowed under a measure being introduced today in the U.S. Senate as a way to save medical costs.

Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota and Republican senators Olympia Snowe, of Maine, and John McCain, of Arizona, have scheduled a news conference today to support the measure, according to an e-mailed statement.

Allowing drug imports would save American consumers $50 billion over the next decade, including $10 billion for the U.S. government, the lawmakers said.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=abzWU.GPNrjc&refer=canada

[drm604]

1. Will they be coming from China?

I like the idea overall but what kind of quality controls will be put in place?

For example, I take an injectable medication and I would be frightened to see either the medicine or the syringes labeled "made in China".

I don't want to sound like I'm defending big Pharma, because I'm not, but I want to be positive that sufficient controls are in place.

[cabluedem]

6. Where do you think Walmart gets those 4 USD drugs? nt

[CountAllVotes]

2. they are already importing drugs from India

I was given an RX for something from India. It was supposed to be a one pill wonder and your done sort of thing. It did not work. I went back to the doctor and was given another RX for the same drug that you take for 2 weeks. I finally got over this problem.

I'm not sure we have the regulations in place to start importing MORE drugs from other places. How safe are they and do they work?

:dem: :kick:

[glinda]

3. Some of our own drugs are made overseas. To me, there is not enough clarification.

[SPedigrees]

4. Your meds do come from China.

Virtually all medicines "manufactured" by US Pharmaceutical cos originate in China. Pfizer, Novartis, etc take the imported product of Asian laboratories and compress them into pills. US Pharmaceutical labs are used only for testing, not for manufacture of the raw materials.

The only difference between Canadian, Mexican, Australian, Indian, etc drugs and US drugs is the price tag. All these countries have similar quality control standards. They also have price ceilings on pharmaceuticals set by their national medicine agencies. Many of the drugs from these other countries are made by US Pharma and exported, but it is less expensive to import these drugs back into this country than to buy the same product here, because of those price controls.

[pattmarty]

5. You're missing the point; they should not be as expensive as..................

................they are here in THIS country!!!!!! I have been buying my drugs from Canada for 10 yrs now. I know that some of them are made in India and there has been no attempt to hide the fact. The drug laws (I mean the "legal" ones, the "illegal" ones are for another discussion) governing the "legal" pharmaceuticals in this country are FAR WORSE than the fucked up banking laws and regs.