Government contended ads led to illegal importation of pharmaceuticals to US
Article Source: msnbc.com
from:msnbc.comGoogle to settle Canadian drug case for $500M
Seeded on Wed Aug 24, 2011 5:56 PM EDT (msnbc.com)
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Just something I find entertaining, quite a large number of people scream for the importation of drugs from Canada and Europe which have not gone through FDA screening, nor are they held to the same efficacy and production standards, and I'm fine with that. If you want to gamble with a drug that may or may not contain active ingredient or may vary with dosage, it's your life.
However, many of these people are the same ones screeching about how we shouldn't buy stuff from China, how American jobs are being exported overseas, how buying anything than products from US-owned companies made by US workers is wrong.
Well, which is it? Are we to buy American-only, or are we to buy based on what our wallets tell us? Shopping at Walmart, employing undocumented workers, buying foreign products -- this is supposed to be un-patriotic, but somehow, buying foreign medicines isn't?
I dont see where you get your facts? No where did that article say that the same people buying cheaper drugs were buy American people. I would have to say that you seem to be one of the people that writes a lot of these articles with out facts that we see all the time, lol.
Matt-3468366
Had you read the article better, you would seen where it said, they are not selling Canadian drugs, they are importing them, from other counbtries to sell to the US, in fact had you been following this, you have seen it reported, that most were not even sent from Canada.
Canadian drugs are just as safe as drugs in the US, and many are made by the same companies, the reason theyare so much cheaper is that each province or in some cases the whole country places an order. You don't have millins of seperate orders to fill, just here with the H1N1 flu vacine, where the big order was placed by the feds. And by the way, most of that came from Canada and Europe, the big new plant here is not open yet.
Had you been following this issue, you would know this is about the re-importation of prescription drugs from countries where PhaRMA members sell at deeply discounted prices. They're just trying to protect their cash-cow market here in the US, one of the few countries that continues to put corporate profits over human life.
It has nothing to do with drug safety, since nearly all the drugs being blocked from being sold to the US from outside the US are manufactured here in the US. I know because my prescription costs have gone up 1,000% for the exact same drug and dosage rate ever since PhaRMA started attacking "offshore" pharmacies, the majority of which do require and verify prescriptions issued by medical doctors. Thanks to the GOP and ObamaCare, millions will die to protect corporate profits.
Cracking down on generic drugs imported from Canada is about money, lots of money. The drug manufactures are hiding the real issue under the guise of public safety.
Not all drugs used in USA are manufactured in USA. As in other consumer products, much is imported from drug factories in Europe and Asia. Some of these factories may be own by renown drug companies such as Merck, Pilzer, Glaxo, Johnson, SmithKline, etc.
Without the bureacratic hurdles established by the drug companies to stifle competition, foreign drug makers force the renown drug companies to lower drug prices. For example, antibiotics such as Penicillin is priced more than 50% less in Mexico than the identical capsule sold in USA. Same with anti-hypertension and diabetic drugs.
Just as "Stimulus," TARP, and QE1,2 were never intended to help the working-stiff but to bailout the WallSt FatCats, the prosecution of Google is not about protection consumers but to enrich the drug companies that made substantial political compaign contributions.
Regulatory agencies always justify their existence under the guise of protecting the public. History shows otherwise. Where was the SEC before Enron, Worldcom, Adelphi, Nortel, Qwest, LehmanB, BearnStearn, MerrilLynch, Citigroup, and Tyco. The SEC regulators were busy partying with no other than Berni Madoff, the king of Ponzi scheme.
Where were the FDIC and Federal Reserve when the banks under their supervision were making "liar loans" and committing millions of mortgage fraud? And where was the FBI when Allie North used illegal drug money to buy guns for the contras? And where was the FCC when cellphone carriers were ripinfg-off American consumers? The list is almost endless.
Big Government means bigger and more regulatory agencies protecting privilege industries that can afford to pay the political contributions. In effect these regulatory agencies act as accomplice to the price gouging practices of big corporations.
When the issue is about the corruption within the US government, American people are so sanguine or naive.
Why do I think this has more to do with protecting profits than protecting public safety?
Of course it is. People still can Google search the pharmacy on the web and buy if they like.
You are correct. Something is really wrong here. So Congress swipes 500M from Google but gives 750B to banks that foreclose on America. What's really quirky is that a seattle based drug maker (SGEN) just released a 100K per pop cancer drug. Their balance sheet shows they owe banks more than there worth. hum, priced to protect banks but not help people.
Ouch
There are some drugs that are not FDA approved, but are approved everywhere else in the world. Some drugs are used for a different condition than the normal application, which might not be approved but is safe for the alternative treatment, but still not FDA approved. Some of these drugs are safer than the FDA approved drugs for the same condition. Don't take people's option for safe drugs. Many of the Canada pharmacies are no different than ours in the U.S. but they have the drugs our pharmacies don't. So it isn't always about trying to get cheaper lower grade drugs. My doctor led me to the Canada online pharmacy.
Is it true American pharmaceuticals are cheaper in Canada then they are here? If that is the case then isn't that price gouging? Isn't that illegal? Maybe we could get Canada's public health care laws down here. I've talked to many people from there and they like it.I know,I know everyone is greedy down here so it "won't work" here. What we have doesn't work why not try their system?
Yes, that is true, because a single province might place an order for 4 million of something, over the course of a year. so the company knows the order is firm, they can schedule production, and they are not paying all kinds of sales commission.
yeah ,my guy in Canada tells me that the Fed governmnet buys massive amount of drugs at 20 to 50 % less than what we pay. ! In fact lots of seniors take bus trips over the border to buy expensive meds they can't afford in the States. The Nazi Phama companies lobby group controls Congress and the White House. they gave Oduma over $375 million for his campaign/obmamacare. Obamacare has NO Price Controls on meds !!! Seniors will choose, between food and meds, rent and meds,The democrats are condeming millions of seniors to death by lying in bed with the Pharam companies
Jordan wrote:
Well, probably because this really does have more to do with protecting profits than protecting public safety? Another factor is that the govt wants to keep us from treating our various maladies outside the medical establishment. God forbid someone should get a Valium from Canada without a note from a doctor. Sheesh!
Has nothing to do with that, its the point they are not collecting taxes off it, as we have crack n weed practically on every street here for decades, yet only illegal because no taxes are being paid.
Same reason they want to start enforcing sales tax on internet purchases to even to states that dont have state sales tax, if the person lives in a taxed state. Also the only reason marijuana is sold medically to collect taxes now, since never been able to stop it on the streets anyways. May as well make money also vs the criminals getting it all the time as the have in the past decades.
Extra note, since this is Canada, they cant enforce any tax laws, so Bye Bye, to them, illegal they get placed into that realm.
2 things in life -' not death and taxes', its Taxes you must pay or we make it illegal so you cant sell it. No way current government greed will allow a $ to get by without them getting a % off some of it.
Maybe now they will stop hacking everyones email. I am getting tired of them sending me ads through my friends email addresses.. :@
I'm on Medicare Part D. I have, in the past, bought drugs from Canada by US Mail.
I had to send a prescription from my doctor to the Canadian Pharmacy in order for them to honor the order. The cost was about half what I had to pay in the US. This was before Medicare Part D.
Then I was paying about $800 a year for Canadian drugs. With the passage of Part D, the government prohibited the importation of pharmaceutical drugs. After paying for the Premium for Part D, and the co-pays, my out of pocket was about $800...pretty much the same. But now the Fed, has to pay the difference between my co-pays and the actual cost of my drugs, which was about $1,200.
So for me it is about a push. My out of pocket is the same whether I buy drugs on the international market or buy them under Part D. Of course our government has to borrow that $1200 from China to give to Big Pharm.
Now the fed has fined Google a half a billion dollars because they abetted in the sale of Canadian drugs in the US. This is insanity. All that money is taken from the investors... pension funds, mutual funds, stock holders, etc.
This administration sees corporations as something to loot. And they wonder why we aren't growing our economy. Its a wonder we have any economy left.
Agree. Excellent points.
I'll bet they are happy all the way to the bank. Drugs prices are generally higher in the US than elsewhere in the world because there is no limitation imposed by our Gov. Worse yet Big Pharma is mostly offshore owned and all the profits leave the US to our detriment. They claim development is the cause, but in reality they only spend about 13% on research, but spend much more on advertising and political campaigns.
Maybe the U.S. Justice Department can look into how foreign lobbyist such as Israel, Georgia or etc are allowed to fund(or bribe) are so called elected officials. Instead of picking on people who need drugs they cant afford here. Or better drugs that are more helpful.
Why don't they start by looking into Rick Perry who appoints government positions to, awards contracts and tax breaks to people and companies who contribute funds to him and his campaign? Don't bother looking for corruption abroad when there is plenty here.
The worst part is that Perry is actually considered the front-runner for the GOP nomination for president in 2012! How crazy is that, that the GOP clamors for such an openly corrupt individual to run "their" country to fiscal responsibility! Oh, I'm sorry -- they call it "Texas Pay to Play" politics as if that isn't corruption and is perfectly acceptable.
Absurd!
I also don't expect him to loosen the iron grip that the pharmaceutical lobbyists have on our wallets (and metaphorical "balls") since all they would need to do is pay him to look the other way.
So, Obama's out and Perry's out. What'r'ya gonna do? Offhand, who's not owned by the drug companies? Probably Ron Paul is not.
This is about protecting quarterly profits here in the US, not protecting consumers. After all, those re-imported drugs Big PhaRMA says aren't safe? Made right here in the United States!
Big PhaRMA is established by pharmaceutical manufactures, and they've gotten quite the boost in profits thanks to Medicare Part D and ObamaCare. Big PhaRMA wrote those laws that prohibit US citizens from purchasing drugs from outside the US, leaving more than a few to choose between bankruptcy or dying.
Next time someone dies of a preventable illness or disease because there was no way they could afford the drugs needed to keep them alive, just remember, your votes for Democrats and Republicans helped make that intentional homicide possible.
The big pharmaceutical companies are desparate to keep their profit margins sky high in the USA. The Obama administration is obliging them.
Look - the damned pharmaceuticals don't really care if it's a dem or repub in the white house. They will cozy up to whoever they have to - to keep their piracy alive, protected, and fat.
This has nothing to do with your or my health or safety. It is about money, and only money. And yet, knowing that, it really pisses me off when these companies intentionally paint this 'we're looking out for you' when you know damned good and well they aren't.
As far as this administration trying to loot the profits of these big companies - who in the hell do you think the companies looted to have such massive profits in the first place??? They either ripped off the consumers or ripped off the government - or both.
There is a huge difference between cost, value, and what someone will pay. And when life or death are put on the payline - the gouging is in full swing. Life is most precious, and to have companies that leverage life for profit makes it quite clear their board of directors are nothing but death panels.
That said, ANY company who brings a needed product to market is certainly entitled to make a profit and use that money to build and perform research. But, when that money is used to buy favorable market protection - then that company is as corrupt as the politicians who whore themselves out to campaign dollars.
Something is really wrong here. So Congress swipes $500M from Google under the guise of protection. But they give $750B to banks that foreclose on America. Here's the real quirk: Recently a seattle based drug maker (SGEN) just released a $100K per pop cancer drug. There balance sheet shows they owe banks more than there worth. hum, So the drug is priced to protect banks but not help people.
Ouch
I have noticed that many drugs we are forced to buy are made in countries like India, and imported by the big pharma corporates themselves. So what is the REAL problem? They scream about protecting capitalism here in the US, but corporates pay millions to politicians so they don't have to compete. All at the expense and very lives of US citizens. And how much taxpayer subsidy money do they recieve for things like research and advertising? To a population that is enslaved to buy their products with no choice other than diminished life style, expectancy or death. We are forced to pay for our own demise. This certainly does not ring with the constitutional statement of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.