I'll buy my drugs anywhere I want

[jgruber]

Now this shows how screwed up our health care system really is.

Illinois Governor to Allow Online Rx Imports
Tuesday, August 17, 2004

FDA May Take Legal Action on States Seeking Drug Imports
CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (search) has decided to ignore the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and break the law.

After failing to receive permission from the FDA (search) to import cheaper drugs from Canada, Blagojevich on Tuesday responded by saying he's going to do it anyway.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,129265,00.html

[The ZAPINATOR]

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[jgruber]

This whole issue is a puzzle to me. 

Tell me if I have this right.

They manufacture the drugs here, send them to canada and then americans get them from canada for less.

is that right?

[The ZAPINATOR]

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[jgruber]

Z, we are on the same page this time.

I know that business is business, but this is a special situation.  People are literally dying to get these drugs.

[The ZAPINATOR]

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[jgruber]

Yup.  Let's see the numbers.  Show us the expenditures.  Then subtract the government grants and loans.  And be sure to include the work you farmed out to universities, etc.

Yeah, and it's wrong.  They claim they need these huge profits to continue their research, but I'm virtually certain they don't need THAT much money to pay guys in little white suits in labs to come up with new drugs.  It amounts to free market-gone-haywire.  I'm all about the market pushing forth technology and having profit incentives to keep us on an upward march, but this situation is a little different since there are lives at stake. 

Someone needs to do an exact study on how much these companies take in vs. how much they need to function practically and continue their research.  I'm pretty sure it would be damning.  After all, as soon as patents run out and competition hits, prices magically fall like crazy.  That tells me they're just taking as much as they can for as long as they can, with no care about making those drugs affordable to everyone who may need them.

ZAP

[Section Eight]

Do you think the Gov. is just in his assertion he would do it anyway?

[The ZAPINATOR]

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[jgruber]

I think it is arrogant of the FDA to suggest that Canadian drugs imported from the US are unsafe.