Drug Import Issue Reaches Front Burner The debate is heating up over whether or not to allow the import of Canadian prescription drugs into the U.S. On Sunday the Washington Post reported that "Montgomery County [Md.] will join a growing number of state and local jurisdictions across the country that are considering looking to Canada for better prices on the prescription drugs they buy for public employees." States including Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota are exploring similar plans, while in Massachusetts, the cities of "Springfield and Cambridge -- have launched such programs," the article said. Meanwhile, word emerged Friday that Congressional negotiators involved with the proposed revamping of Medicare were "seriously discussing proposals" that would allow drug imports from Canada , the New York Times reported. No doubt realizing that an increasing number of Americans -- many of them actively voting seniors -- are already buying the far-cheaper drugs north of the border, the debate may be "shifting from the philosophical question of whether to allow more imports to the practical question of how to do so, in a way that minimizes the risks to public health," the Times said. Some Republicans in Congress may advocate allowing imports for a limited time "under close federal supervision," in order to quell safety concerns, the article added. The Canadian Perspective While Americans argue about the safety or legality of importing Canadian drugs, few have asked what Canadians themselves think about the issue. Despite the fact that Internet pharmacies have become big business north of the border, some Canadians oppose the idea. For example, an opinion piece in the Winnipeg Free Press last month argued that the greater the flow of drugs south from Canada to America the greater the likelihood that drug makers will cut drug supplies to Canada . "Good Canadian public policy should ensure that our laws enforce terms-of-sale requiring that medicines sold in Canada be used by Canadian patients," the author said. However, an opinion piece in the Globe and Mail had this answer to the above concern: "Given that logic, U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturers would have to restrict supply to every country that has cheaper prices and Internet connections." The Globe and mail piece went on to claim that U.S. drug prices are high in part because of marketing costs. Absent those marketing costs, drugs in Canada might be even cheaper, the author argues. And he asks: "Should Canadians be subsidizing Americans' habit of being bombarded by drug ads?" The argument, of course, is in sharp contrast to the stated belief of many in the U.S. who oppose Canadian imports. They say the lower cost of drugs north of the border are being subsidized by higher prices in the U.S. And those higher prices, in turn, are necessary to sustain the research and development costs needed to develop new products. This story originally came from Wall Street Journal Online ... Return to the Media Section

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