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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Alighieri who wrote (211374)	11/10/2004 1:15:28 PM
From: Peter Dierks	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1571076

The reason that brand name drug prices are lower in Canada is that American drug companies that produce most of the new drug can stick Americans with the total cost of R & D. That haaving been paid for, they find it more profitable to sell some quantities in markets like Canada than to sell none. If you legalized re-importing drugs with current laws on the books, there would be no brand name drugs available for sale in Canada. Drug companies would ration them, and Canadian pharmacists would have to choose between selling to Canadians or price shopping Americans. Canada would make it illegal to sell to foreigners. Problem solved. If you want to solve the drug price problem you need to find a way to shift a fair share of R & D to other first world countries. This article I re-posted yesterday explains it. Message 20751070

To: Alighieri who wrote (211374)	11/10/2004 1:22:11 PM
From: Tenchusatsu	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 1571076

Al, I am sure subsidies would not survive if the US allowed re-importation, so it means that the market would stabilize on pricing negotiated with drug companies in both Canada and the US. The effect would probably be lower profits for drug cos, but not hugely lower. The article alludes to that, which is why I posted it. The safety issue is a smokescreen. Thanks, Al. Personally, I think re-importation is the wrong way to go, since if the goal is lower prices, then we should just impose price controls here. Re-importation would only amount to the worst of all worlds, and no one other than the bureaucrats will like it. Tenchusatsu