April 28, 2005
Giuliani: Imported Pharma Drugs are Risky
Marc Comtois
A new report by Rudy Giuliani has found some flaws in importing drugs from other countries for use in the U.S. I note that the report was commissioned by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association, so that must be weighed. But I would also stress that Giuliani has certainly shown his integrity in the past. The key findings:
Unapproved drugs have already compromised the system. According to the report, nearly 90 percent of the suspected drug parcels randomly examined by airport mail facilities contained non-FDA approved medicines from Pakistan, Brazil, the Netherlands and Canada. Drugs are already coming from foreign sources. Several of the large Canadian Internet pharmacies have stated publicly that they are already filling prescriptions with drugs from other countries. Patients cannot assume these medications are identical to what they would get in the United States.
5:00 PM