Canada Warns It Cannot Be the Drugstore to U.S.

[MDM4AU 321]

Canada Warns It Cannot Be the Drugstore to U.S.

BOSTON (Reuters) - Canada warned the United States on Wednesday that it would not be able to meet its prescription drug needs.

"To me it is a matter of common sense that Canada cannot be the drugstore of the United States. Neither American consumers nor Canadian suppliers should have any illusions otherwise," Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh said.

"It is difficult for me to conceive of how a small country like Canada could meet the prescription drug needs of approximately 280 million Americans without putting our own supply at serious risk," he said in the prepared text of a speech he was giving at Harvard Medical School (news - web sites).

Several U.S. states and cities have sought to save money by buying less-expensive Canadian drugs, as have many Americans, notably seniors and those with limited health-care coverage.

The issue figured in the recent presidential election campaign, with Democratic challenger John Kerry (news - web sites) calling for Canadian imports and President Bush (news - web sites) saying he first wanted to make sure foreign drugs were safe.

Dosanjh said he saw no evidence of supply shortages in Canada, with annual Internet pharmacy sales appearing to have plateaued at about $600 million, but he said that Ottawa was monitoring the matter closely.

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[TitanTiger 20,465]

I've wondered when this issue was going to be raised. Only part of Canada's better pricing comes from bulk purchasing by the gov't. The other aspect is that Canadians pay taxes that subsidize the cost of medications. How can their system afford to pay for Americans who do not pay Canadian taxes to get large supplies of drugs that way? I don't think it can.