Reuters reports that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has joined the growing legion of political and governmental leaders supporting the import from Canada of prescription medicines that are substantially cheaper than they are in the US.
This practice, called "reimportation," has been supported by the governors of states such as Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, as well as the mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts, and is seen as a way of alleviating crippling budget shortfalls.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that these drugs cannot be certified as safe, and that the practice of reimportation is illegal. The FDA has been working to shut down businesses that have specialized in reimporting prescription medicines and then selling them to senior citizens.
This practice, called "reimportation," has been supported by the governors of states such as Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, as well as the mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts, and is seen as a way of alleviating crippling budget shortfalls.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that these drugs cannot be certified as safe, and that the practice of reimportation is illegal. The FDA has been working to shut down businesses that have specialized in reimporting prescription medicines and then selling them to senior citizens.
- KC's View:
- The interesting thing is that the support for reimportation seems to cut across political lines. It is hard to imagine that all this pressure isn’t going to lead to some accommodation for this practice.
