Should drug companies be allowed to ban sales of Canadian drugs to U.S. customers?

Question

I mean , the most expensive medications do not have generic brands. Many popular brand-name drugs are cheaper to buy in Canada, than in the U.S

Answer 1

The problem isn't about cheaper drugs from Canada or anywhere else. The problem is the nation has only one source for treating ailments, the pharmaceutical industry. Public companies placing the interests of customers above shareholders would violate fiduciary responsibility.

The federal government doesn't want citizens using "unsafe" products. In political speak that means anything outside the pharmaceutical industry. Whether natural cures are better is certainly debatable, but adults and their doctors should be determining what's best, not bureaucrats. With so many people worrying about the lost of civil liberties, it is interesting that not many seem to be concerned that the only rights you have during medical treatment are refusal and privacy. The latter is easily circumvented.

Adults need to be able to make decisions for themselves, come what may. Our country was founded on personal responsibility and it is obliterated more and more each day.

Answer 2

The government does not want it's citizens to purchase foreign-made pharmaceuticals.
The fact that many of these drugs that are distributed in the US are made overseas is unimportant : the IMPORTANT thing is that the chemical companies make a huge profit on all of their US sales. These same drugs are sold elsewhere for a lot less money, so why not here ?

Answer 3

Yes.
The drug companies invest their assets into exploring and developing new treatments and cures. This is very risky and usually does not produce anything and the money is lost.

I understand 3rd world countries place price caps so their impoverished citizens can get the medications, but this means responsible wealthier nations must make up the costs in higher prices.

While a drug company might make a small profit over manufacturing costs in countries like Canada... Canada does not make any contribution towards the research and development of new treatments and cures...effectively being subsidized by responsible nations like the USA.

If we in the USA do not go along with the subsidization of impoverished nations and leeching nations...we will not have breakthroughs in medicine and will have to get along with the medications we have today.
No drug company can justify dumping money into research without the chance of reward to their investor.

Answer 4

We should be able to buy drugs from Canada. The pharmaceutical companies have their lobbyist who lobby the politicians to deny imports to the US. I pay out of pocket for prescriptions that my health insurer doesn't cover and I can't afford. These prescriptions are much cheaper in Canada. It outrages me that the politicians are more concerned with the pharmaceutical company's profits than they are of the citizens of this country.

Answer 5

It's not the drug companies that are blocking the sale of the medications it is our own government!! It is so messed up the way our government works.

Answer 6

Bush and the republican party doesn't want you to have access to the Canadian drugs... maybe when they are all gone things will change.

The prescription drug lobbyists are very powerful, and morals go out the window when money is changing hands..

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9405EED6123CF935A15751C0A9629C8B63
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-12-31-canada-drugs_x.htm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18530709/

Answer 7

Drug companies don't "ban" anything...your wonderful federal government does that...just as they screw up many things in this country...wait 'til they run all healthcare.

Answer 8

Hmmm . . . I'd think the Canadian government, and its taxpayers, would want to ban these sales, to the extent that they are in effect "subsidizing" these lower prices.

Answer 9

ABSOLUTELY NOT !