Campaign to ban Internet drugs

Canadian health groups have called on the Canadian government to ban the exportation of pharmaceutical drugs from Canada to the US. Their concerns over Internet pharmacies include their negative impact on access to prescription drugs and providers in Canada; the danger they pose to patients by threatening the security of the drug supply chain in both Canada and the US; and the pressure they place on Canada's drug pricing system.

The groups, which appeared at a US FDA hearing in April, included the Hepatitis C Network, Canadian Treatment Action Council, and Canadian Organisation for Rare Disorders. They also met with US groups opposed to Internet pharmacies.The groups called for the banning of cross-border internet pharmacies on the grounds that they are having an adverse impact on the lives of Canadians and this will escalate if left unchecked. The diversion of drugs to cross-border internet pharmacies for US consumers is leading to shortages of necessary drugs for Canadian patients, they claim, notably in diabetes and cancer.

They fear that cross-border internet pharmacies will drive up Canadian drug prices and put a further burden on public drug budgets. The groups also warned that the pharmaceutical industry has been lobbying for deregulation of drug pricing in Canada for many years, and the issue of cross-border internet pharmacies is being used politically in the US to further advocate for pricing deregulation in Canada.

Safety is also an issue for the groups. Canada imports drugs from 36 countries, but has Mutual Recognition Agreements regarding GMP with only half of them. Thus, unsafe drugs that have not been through Canada's review processes are getting into Canada and have already been found by US customs, they claim.

Access to healthcare providers is being adversely affected by cross-border internet pharmacies, the groups allege, with up to 30% of pharmacists in Manitoba said to have left the public domain. Pharmacies serving the community, hospitals and nursing homes are closing or shortening their hours of operations, particularly in rural areas.

The groups also condemn as dangerous the practice of prescribing medication to a patient with whom the physician has had no face-to-face contact or follow-up care. Risks include managing of adverse reactions and ensuring patient understanding of how to take medications.