by PharmacyChecker.com | May 24, 2012 | Drug Importation, Healthcare Reform, Online Pharmacies, Personal Drug Importation
McCain Amendment.
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) introduced an amendment to the Pharmaceutical Drug User Fee Act authorization bill that would create explicitly legal access to and facilitate safe and affordable medicine from Canadian pharmacies through a government list of online pharmacies. Sen. McCain should be applauded for continuing his efforts on this issue. Unfortunately, the amendment was voted down 43 to 54.
In his floor statements, predicting his amendment’s failure, Senator McCain communicated that too many of our elected representatives are beholden to the pharmaceutical industry. For that reason, we can expect future legislative actions to curb access to safe personal drug imports. Due to FDA’s current regulatory practices, Americans are not prevented from obtaining needed medications from verified international online pharmacies.
CBS News On Online Pharmacies and Drugs Safety
In a recent article, CBS News informs American consumers on critical issues of drug safety. When it comes to ordering prescription drugs online, especially from outside the United States, the article is clear that Americans should only shop from properly credentialed online pharmacies, such as those approved by PharmacyChecker.com.
Americans should take other precautions as well. For instance, you should only take prescription medications prescribed to you from your doctor. Check expiration dates to make sure your prescription product is still effective. Before taking medication, look at it closely for any indication something is not right, including disintegration or discoloration.
Online pharmacies discussed by world leaders at G8 summits
Leaders from the world’s most advanced economies discussed online pharmacies at the recent G8 conference. The topics discussed also included economic growth and development, food and nutrition, and international security. Global health experts criticized the G8’s agreement, as published in the Camp David Declaration, for an over-emphasis on intellectual property protection in its section that mentioned drug safety.
Americans who buy medication safely from properly credentialed international online pharmacies should be concerned about high level talks that address this issue. The pharmaceutical industry’s anti-consumerist positions on intellectual property rights are often overrepresented in such international organizations, and the industry seeks global action to shutdown safe international online pharmacies.
On the other hand, looking at the glass half-full, the Camp David Declaration makes clear that public safety – not intellectual property rights – are the goal in fighting rogue online pharmacies and counterfeit drugs: “To protect public health and consumer safety, we also commit to exchange information on rogue internet pharmacy sites in accordance with national law and share best practices on combating counterfeit medical products.”
We strongly support international actions to thwart the sale of dangerous medications online to protect both American and global patients. In fact, PharmacyChecker.com has been dedicated for almost a decade to evaluating online pharmacies in order to provide information about those that sell safe and affordable medication.
Tagged with: Camp David Declaration, CBS News, FDA, G8, John McCain, Pharmaceutical Drug USer Fee Act
by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com and Sam Werbalowsky, Pharmacychecker.com | Mar 20, 2012 | Drug Prices, Healthcare Reform, Saving Money on Prescription Drugs, Skipping medications
There is a drug affordability crisis in America. As we’ve reported, in 2010 48 million adults did not fill a prescription due to high drug costs. Perhaps surprisingly, in addition to millions of uninsured Americans, many Americans with insurance forgo prescription medication due to cost. Such insured Americans, unable to cover necessary medical costs, including medication, are often referred to as the underinsured. A previous study from 2004 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists reveals that 82.1% of those who restricted medication to due costs were actually insured. The picture is clear; underinsurance is a major issue in the battle to afford prescribed medication.
The Affordable Healthcare For America Act will help millions of Americans, including with their drug bills – but it is not a cure-all. It is uncertain how the new regulations will affect drug pricing. With drug price negotiations and cost reducing drug importation measures excluded from the healthcare act, and with millions of insured Americans currently struggling to pay high drug costs, what is to say newly insured people will not struggle to afford or go without prescribed medications?
Throughout the year PharmacyCheckerBlog will be following the research and predictions about drug affordability under the new law. Stay tuned…
Tagged with: affordable prescriptions, Drug Prices, Healthcare Reform
by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | Feb 28, 2012 | Drug Importation, Healthcare Reform, Personal Drug Importation
Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), chaired a panel at the African American Museum in Philadelphia last week to discuss problems of access to affordable healthcare, which included the problem of drug costs in America. It’s noteworthy that Secretary Sebelius conspicuously did not mention that as governor of Kansas she adopted a drug importation program through which residents of Kansas had online access to verified and low-cost international pharmacies.
During the panel discussions, a retired pastor, Delores McCabe, brought focus to the high cost of prescription medication. As reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer:
There has got to be something we can do above the Affordable Care Act that does something about an industry that is immoral,” [McCabe] said, drawing applause from the crowd. “It is immoral and unethical to charge people to stay alive.
In her response, Sebelius urged McCabe and the others to voice their opinions to their elected officials. She mentioned that strides have been taken to bring down costs during her time with the Obama administration, such as plugging the Medicare drug plan doughnut hold with 50% discounts and the passage of the Affordable Care Act through which more Americans will have healthcare insurance (and therefore lower drug costs). She also mentioned that as Governor of Kansas she was able to negotiate drug prices for Medicaid but that such negotiations for Medicare are illegal under federal law.
We wonder, however, why she omitted the fact that as governor she authorized the creation of a state website so Kansas residents could access verified international pharmacies offering safe and affordable prescription drugs from Canada and other countries. Apparently, what was once politically popular, helping Americans personally import safe and affordable prescription medication, appears less so. Unfortunately, its lack of political popularity has probably resulted in fewer Americans getting the medication they need. Hopefully this election season will shine a bright light on the plight of Americans and their inability to afford medication in the United States and all the effective solutions to the problem, politically popular or not.
Tagged with: drug importation program, Health and Human Services, Kansas, Kathleen Sebelius, politics
by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com and Margaret Rode, PharmacyChecker.com | Feb 17, 2012 | Healthcare Reform, Medicare Drug Plans, Personal Drug Importation
“President Obama just released next year’s budget proposal and it has already sparked fierce criticism from the pharmaceutical industry. That’s because the plan would require Big Pharma to give an additional $156 billion in drug rebates over the next decade.”
This news comes from RxRight.org’s latest blog post, entitled Big Pharma balks at President’s proposed budget. Not surprisingly, as articulated by its president, John Castellani, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America is against the rebates and other reforms found in Obama’s budget. One point championed by Mr. Castellani as a reason to criticize President Obama is that the “Medicare Part D is working well for seniors.” While Part D has certainly helped many seniors afford needed medication, the RxRights post, and empirical data, show that millions of seniors still struggle to afford necessary, and sometimes life-saving, prescription drugs because of costs – despite Medicare Part D drugs plans.
In fact, the failure of Medicare Part D is one reason that reputable international online pharmacies remain a lifeline for Medicare enrollees. It appears if Obama’s budget is approved, without changes to his prescription drug rebate requests, then more Americans will forgo the international option in favor of domestic pharmacies.
Tagged with: affordable prescriptions, Americans, brand name drugs, Healthcare Reform, Medicare, Medicare Drug Plans, Obama, Part D, personal drug importation, phrma, rebates, save money, United States
by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com and Margaret Rode, PharmacyChecker.com | Aug 31, 2011 | Drug Prices, Healthcare Reform
A new report by the Commonwealth Fund, from their 2010 Biennial Health Insurance Survey, shows that 48 million Americans, ages 19-64, did not fill a prescription due to cost in 2010, up from 29 million in 2001 – a 66% increase. The study includes both insured and uninsured Americans but does not include children and seniors. The study indicates that the recession has greatly exacerbated the national crisis of prescription non-adherence (skipping medications), as nine out of 16 million Americans who have lost their job have also lost their health insurance.
It is difficult to estimate the sickness and even death that has resulted from so many millions of Americans not taking their prescribed medication due to cost. As evidenced by the new report, the situation is particularly dire for uninsured Americans with chronic medical conditions, as 27 million “skipped doses or did not fill a prescription for their condition because of the cost.” (more…)
Tagged with: Affordable Care Act, Biennial Health Insurance Survey, chronic, Commonwealth Fund, consumer guide, health insurance, Medicare, Medicare Drug Plans, prescription costs, skipping medicine, United States
by PharmacyChecker.com | Feb 18, 2011 | Healthcare Reform, Personal Drug Importation
Last May, we reported that AARP honored Senator Olympia Snowe (R- Maine) for her ongoing advocacy of policies and initiatives that seek to improve the lives of Americans age 50-plus. The award specifically mentioned her efforts to make safe drug importation legal and more available to help more Americans afford their medication. In our post on this recognition, we predicted that the issue of access to safe drugs would persist in the aftermath of the new healthcare legislation, and we’re now happy to announce that last week Senator Snowe put legalizing drug importation back on the Senate’s agenda.
Senator Snowe has introduced legislation that would amend the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic act to facilitate drug importation that would effectively lower prescription drug prices. Additionally, the bill would increase U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspections of international manufacturing plants. S. 319, the proposed Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act of 2011, is similar to Senator Snowe’s co-sponsored bill from 2009, also known as the Dorgan Amendment. For more information on the Senator’s past support for personal drug importation, see our post Canadian Pharmacies and Personal Drug Importation Play Critical Role in Greater Healthcare Benefits for Americans. (more…)
Tagged with: AARP, bill, Canadian pharmacies, Congressman Ron Paul, Drug Importation, FDA, healthcare, personal drug importation, Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act, President Obama, S.319, safe drugs, Senate, Senator Chuck Grassley, Senator Snowe, seniors, United States, YouTube
