Reuters reports that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned three Texas-based companies that they should stop importing medicines from Canada for employees and retirees in Montgomery, Alabama.
The FDA demanded a response within 15 days. A spokesman for the three companies said that the FDA was mistaken, and that the companies are not engaged in illegal activity.
This is just the latest contretemps over the practice of "reimporting" drugs from Canada, where prescription medicines often are much less expensive than in the US. While the FDA and US law say that such medicines are unsafe because they are no subject to US regulatory processes, 25 states and 15 municipalities are using or looking into the practice as a way of closing budget gaps.
The FDA demanded a response within 15 days. A spokesman for the three companies said that the FDA was mistaken, and that the companies are not engaged in illegal activity.
This is just the latest contretemps over the practice of "reimporting" drugs from Canada, where prescription medicines often are much less expensive than in the US. While the FDA and US law say that such medicines are unsafe because they are no subject to US regulatory processes, 25 states and 15 municipalities are using or looking into the practice as a way of closing budget gaps.
- KC's View:
