The Associated Press reports that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is cracking down on the practice of buying prescription drugs via the Internet from Canada and having them sent to the US.
An Arkansas mail order drug company, Importer Rx Depot, has been told by the FDA to cease importing drugs from Canada. While the imported drugs often are less than half the cost that they would be if bought at US prices, the FDA is cautioning that they aren’t necessarily the same drugs as those sold in the US, even if they carry the same name and are for sale in the US.
The mail order company, however, plans to defend itself in court on the premise that it is providing medications to people who need them and who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford them.
An Arkansas mail order drug company, Importer Rx Depot, has been told by the FDA to cease importing drugs from Canada. While the imported drugs often are less than half the cost that they would be if bought at US prices, the FDA is cautioning that they aren’t necessarily the same drugs as those sold in the US, even if they carry the same name and are for sale in the US.
The mail order company, however, plans to defend itself in court on the premise that it is providing medications to people who need them and who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford them.
- KC's View:
- Can you imagine what will happen to drug prices in the US if this defense actually works? We can’t imagine that it will, especially because there seem to be enough questions about the drug safety and regulatory process in Canada. But with all the debate about health costs in the US, it’d be interesting to watch…
