U.S. Warns Storefront Business Over Canadian Drug Imports

[Guest guest]

AMERICAN PUBLIC WOULD NOT HAVE TO BUY IN CANADA IF DRUG PRICES WERE NOT SO

HIGH HERE. PHARMACEUTAL COMPANIES HAVE/ARE RIPPING OFF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC

AND WITH BUSH'S SUPPORT WILL CONTINUE TOO, AFTER ALL THAT IS WHY THEY PAID

HIM ....OOPS, I MEAN GAVE TO HIS CAMPAIGN ... YOU KNOW SOFT MONEY....

 

 

Tuesday, September 09, 2003 9:17 PM

U.S. Warns Storefront Business Over Canadian Drug Imports

 

 

> U.S. Warns Storefront Business Over Canadian Drug Imports

>

> 09-09-03 06:03 PM EST

>

> WASHINGTON -- In the strongest government action yet against the

> cross-border flood of cheaper pharmaceuticals, federal regulators warned

> that they are close to filing a lawsuit against a storefront business that

> sells Canadian drugs around the U.S.

>

> In a letter sent to closely held Rx Depot Inc., of Tulsa, Okla., the

> Justice Department said it was prepared to file a civil lawsuit based on

> information about the company's activities from the Food and Drug

> Administration. The letter says the company illegally imports U.S.-made

and

> foreign, unapproved drugs into the U.S. from Canada.

>

> Federal prosecutors are " authorized to file a civil case against " Rx

Depot,

> the letter says, which will seek a court order to block the company from

> importing drugs without conforming with U.S. laws. But, the letter says,

> the government would be willing to settle the suit if the company signed a

> consent decree.

>

> The president of Rx Depot, Carl Moore, said he plans to fight the suit.

> " We're absolutely not shutting down, " he said.

>

> He argued that his company's actions don't break the law, because

> individual consumers are faxing their own orders to Canadian pharmacies:

> " We're not doing anything illegal and we're going to prove it in a court

of

> law, " he said.

>

> The lawsuit would be the first filed by the federal government against one

> of the growing number of companies that thrive by filling U.S. consumers'

> demand for Canadian drugs, and a significant escalation of the FDA's

battle

> to discourage the imports.

>

> Mr. Moore said Rx Depot now includes 85 storefronts in 26 states. In its

> storefronts, the company offers price lists, and U.S. consumers fax their

> prescriptions to four affiliated Canadian pharmacies, Mr. Moore said. The

> pharmacies send them to Canadian doctors, then send the drugs directly to

> the U.S. customer.

>

> - Anna Wilde Mathews, The Wall Street Journal; 202-862-9239

>

>

> Dow Jones Newswires

> 09-09-03 1358ET

>

> http://news.morningstar.com/news/DJ/M09/D09/1063145460711.html

>