Release: Pharmacists, Patients, Seniors Applaud Government Action on Internet Pharmacies

For Immediate Release
November 17, 2004

PHARMACISTS, PATIENTS, SENIORS APPLAUD
GOVERNMENT ACTION ON INTERNET PHARMACIES

Time to End Unethical Practices, Risk to Canadian Health Care, Groups Tell Government and Opposition Parties

Toronto, November 17, 2004 – Groups representing Canadian pharmacists, patients and seniors are strongly supporting recent comments by the federal Minister of Health regarding the need to stop the cross-border trade in prescription medicines.

Last week, Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh called practices of the internet pharmacy exporters “unethical” and “unprofessional”. The minister indicated that the government is discussing measures to end the cross-border drug trade, including changes to the Food and Drug Act that would prohibit Canadian doctors from writing prescriptions for anyone but Canadians and visitors to Canada. This would effectively end the practice of “co-signing”, whereby internet pharmacies pay doctors up to $10 to sign off on each American prescription so that it can be dispensed by a cross-border trader. Without the ability to pay Canadian doctors to “co-sign” prescriptions, internet pharmacies would no longer be able to ship drugs to the U.S.

“The Minister of Health has the support of Canadian health care professionals, patients and seniors in stopping cross-border internet pharmacies. Allowing this unethical practice to continue is simply a prescription for disaster,” said Louise Binder, Chair, Canadian Treatment Action Council and a member of the Best Medicines Coalition. “We believe that cross-border drug traders are profiteering at the expense of the Canadian health care system by selling off Canadian health resources for personal profit. We share the Health Minister’s condemnation of unethical practices and will be writing to the federal opposition parties, asking them to support the Minister’s efforts to turn off the cross-border drug pipeline and protect Canadians.”

Opposition Asked to Unite in Support of Government Action

"The Minister deserves credit for listening to the experts and those most affected," said Lothar Dueck, President of the Coalition for Manitoba Pharmacy, which since 2003 has been fighting the diversion of Canadian medicines to the U.S. "The Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Pharmacists Association and provincial medical and pharmacy regulators have all spoken out on this issue. Canadian patients, seniors, academics and various policy think tanks have also called on the government to act. Now the government is doing the responsible thing and we are hoping that all parties in Parliament will unite to make the necessary changes to the law, as quickly as possible."

Dueck said he feels little sympathy for the internet pharmacy lobby group, which is complaining that its members will be hurt by the crackdown. "The internet pharmacy owners have already made untold millions of dollars buying up price-controlled Canadian drugs, marking them up and re-selling them in the uncontrolled U.S. market. Not a single pharmacist will be left without a job if the internet traders are shut down. Canada has a worsening shortage of pharmacists, thanks in part to the cross-border trade, and we’ll welcome all the pharmacists from the internet companies back into Canadian community and hospital pharmacies, to care for Canadians.”

"Minister Dosanjh has made a principled stand against the practice of cross-border internet pharmacies," said Lillian Morgenthau, president of CARP - Canada’s Association for the Fifty-Plus. "On behalf of Canadian seniors, we will look forward to seeing rapid changes to the Food and Drugs Act, and we would be pleased to work with the Minister to ensure an end to the cross-border trade in prescription medications."

On October 18, 2004, groups including CARP – Canada’s Association for the Fifty-Plus, the Best Medicines Coalition (BMC), the Canadian Treatment Action Council (CTAC), Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA), the Coalition for Manitoba Pharmacy and the Manitoba Society of Seniors came together to jointly call for immediate action to stop the exportation of drugs from Canada to the U.S.