The New York Times released an article today titled Bush Administration Gives Mixed View on Drug Imports.  The following is comments or what I think must have been omitted from the original draft.

“Some drugstore executives, including the chairman of CVS, have said commercial imports would be much safer than the current flood of largely unregulated imports by individuals.”

Of course he/she would say that!  CVS doesn’t make any money on the present “illegal” system of re-importing drugs.

“Even though President Bush, whose administration resisted the idea during his first term, hinted in the presidential campaign that he might soon allow imports from Canada, the report catalogued many reasons they would be risky. Americans could save more, it said, by increasing the use of generic drugs.”

This one’s a “no brainer.” Bush is in the pocket of the pharmaceutical industry.  Generic drugs come from the same factory as the brand-name.  Therefore, Bush is protecting his constituent’s benefit by recommending generics over re-importation of brand-name drugs from price controlled countries.

What happens when there is no generic?  A lot of drugs restrict creating generics with patent laws in effort to gouge consumers with exaggerated prices.  Is Bush purposing we throw away the pharmaceutical industry’s ability to apply for patents?  Or is he simply purposing a “Let’s keep it the way it is but stop this pesky re-importation?” My guess is the latter.

“The report, by a 13-member federal panel, ruled out legalizing individual imports of drugs for personal use as unworkable. But it said that commercial imports by wholesalers and pharmacies, under strict regulation, might be feasible”

Let me remind everyone, these drugs are the exact same drugs Americans use everyday.  The only difference is Canada has price controls and America does not.  Let’s also not ignore that this scheme’s nomenclature has been slowly changing from re-importation to importation.  It’s a deceptive technique to convince the public that these drugs are not made in America, used in America, and cost-inflated in America.

In conclusion the above quote is essentially stating, “Commercial imports by wholesalers and pharmacies are losing money on ‘illegal’ imports.  The only way to remedy this is to put consumer’s rights aside and ‘regulate’ the price of re-importation.”

“The Commerce Department on Tuesday issued a separate report saying price controls in other countries hurt consumers by reducing the revenues that drug companies need to finance research. The industry has long made similar arguments.”

Please read my previous post titled Reimporting Drugs.  This declaration is just more proof that the pharmaceutical industry’s interest is what’s really important to our government not ours.

“Kathleen D. Jaeger, president of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association, welcomed the reports, saying, ‘They confirm our view that increasing the use of generic drugs would provide greater savings than importing drugs from foreign countries with price controls.’”

What!  And this quote was noteworthy enough to include in a Times article?  Isn’t it obvious she’d say this? Her industry will make more money on generics than brand-name re-importation!  Allowing re-importation is akin to implementing price control here in the US.  No one associated with the pharmaceutical industry wants further price control. (unless they’re controlling the price).

“In their letter to Congress, Mr. Thompson and Mr. Evans recommended a different remedy for high prices. ‘Congress,’ they wrote, ‘should take steps to address the cost of excessive litigation.’”

Come on!  Are you serious!  The pharmaceutical industry is the most profitable industry in the nation! Profit margins in the industry in 2000 were four times the average of Fortune 500 companies.

I’m sorry; did you say something about litigation?

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