electorates voting for globalism ...
... you see, the call is irresistable and possibly fatal, like flames to moth, to the grand finale
... the alternative is to have a bunch of pee-ed off people roaming the streets going without medication, and that show is not pleasant
soon Canada will be contacted by emerging market drug suppliers, inevitable
else an arbitrage opportunity presents itself to the quick and nimble
nytimes.com
July 19, 2005
5 Drug-Importing States Add 2 Countries as Sources
By GRETCHEN RUETHLING
CHICAGO, July 18 - Illinois and Wisconsin announced plans on Monday to add Australia and New Zealand to the states' prescription drug import program, expanding options for their own residents and those of three other states who are seeking less expensive medicines.
Australia and New Zealand join Canada, Britain and Ireland as medication sources for the program, I-SaveRx, which was created by Illinois and Wisconsin in October and has been joined by Kansas, Missouri and Vermont.
Canada has been by far the largest of the exporters, but Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois said in a statement on Monday: "The drug companies and their allies are turning up the heat in Canada, which has been the primary point of purchase for millions of Americans. We've known for some time that a sound importation program can't rely solely on Canada."
The move comes less than three weeks after Canada's health minister announced plans to introduce legislation limiting bulk prescription drug exports to the United States. The bill is aimed at preventing medication shortages in Canada, where the pharmaceutical industry has suggested that it might counter those exports by curbing distribution.
Ken Johnson, senior vice president of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the industry trade group, responded to Monday's action by saying he opposed any import plan that circumvented the Food and Drug Administration's safety system.
"Expanding the program to include Australia and New Zealand," Mr. Johnson said in a statement, "provides no assurances to American patients that the imported medicines won't, in fact, come from countries like Pakistan or Thailand that don't have strong safety regulations."
But Abby Ottenhoff, a spokeswoman for Governor Blagojevich, said that the program worked only with licensed pharmacies in the exporting countries and that those pharmacies must comply with Illinois standards. They are not allowed to dispense drugs that originate in countries that are not part of the agreement with the five states, she said.
Ms. Ottenhoff said there had never been a report of an injury or a death caused by medication imported from Canada or other developed countries.
"For us, this isn't about cornering a market," she said. "This is about providing an option that just wasn't there before."
A report issued by Mr. Blagojevich on Monday found that average prices for 78 common prescription drugs were 51 percent cheaper in Australia and 32 percent cheaper in Canada than in the United States. Since the I-SaveRx program began nine months ago, his office said, more than 10,000 orders have been placed, with an average saving of 25 to 50 percent.
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