31 August 2004
U.S. government seizes seniors' prescriptions
U.S. Customs officials seized a large shipment of prescription drugs a month ago, blocking at least five local elderly people from getting their medicine ordered from a Canadian pharmacy, a Marlborough Council on Aging employee said this week.
Janice Long, outreach coordinator for the COA, said she is worried other local people did not get their drugs. She said one Marlborough man whose drug order has been held up had to buy his medicine from a U.S. pharmacy at much higher prices.
His order from Canada, delayed by the federal agency's seizure, cost $301 for a three-month supply of five drugs, she said. The man ended up paying about $245 for a one-month supply bought locally, she said.
"I'm real concerned that it's an election year, and now they're doing this," Long said. "They talk about the safety of drugs. Well, how safe is it for our citizens to not get their medication?"
Long, who routinely helps seniors buy drugs from Canadian pharmacies, has heard from five people, four from Marlborough and one from Hudson, who have not received their drugs due to the federal action, she said. She urged others who believe the drug seizure may have held up their orders to call her at the Council on Aging.
U.S. customs officials in Miami seized about 350 prescription drug orders on July 27 that pharmacy CanadaRx had shipped from the Bahamas, according to the Star Tribune of Minnesota. About half the orders were intended for members of the Minnesota Senior Federation.
The drugs, which originated in Canada and other countries including England, Germany and Switzerland, were shipped from the Bahamas by CanadaRx to avoid Canadian laws prohibiting pharmacies from importing drugs and then selling them to other nations, the paper reported.
The Food and Drug Administration, called in to investigate after the drugs were seized, told the Star Tribune it would not prosecute the company but was investigating the potential of the drugs being mislabeled or counterfeit.
FDA spokeswoman Rae Jones said yesterday the agency cannot comment because the investigation is still open.
Senior center officials in Framingham, Natick, Hudson and Ashland said they were not aware of elders not receiving drugs ordered from Canada.
While only 350 orders were seized, a total of 3,000 were not shipped on time because CanadaRx held up other orders while it searched for a more secure delivery route.
"We are presently clearing a backlog of 3,000 orders that had either been seized by the FDA in transit or were withheld until we could find a reliable means to deliver them to our customers," CanadaRx said Saturday in an e-mail response to a media inquiry.
The task has been "slow and difficult," but the company believes all backlogged items will be shipped by Sept. 5, it said.
Buying drugs from Canada is illegal in the United States, but many seniors still purchase them to take advantage of prices that are lower due to government price controls.
Boston, Worcester and Springfield allow employees to buy prescription drugs from Canada, and MetroWest communities are considering similar moves.
The recent federal action will not prevent the West Suburban Health Group from considering the purchase of Canadian drugs, said Marc Waldman, chairman of the group. Waldman said the group, which represents 16 municipalities including Natick, Wellesley, Ashland, Holliston and Wayland, may begin buying Canadian drugs next year.
"If the FDA really wanted to crack down, they'd be going after Boston and Worcester and Springfield," Waldman said.
Marlborough is also considering buying drugs from Canada, but officials there are not sure if the recent drug seizure will affect their decision.
"I don't know if the FDA is finally asserting itself here or not," said Bob Martel, executive aide to Marlborough Mayor Dennis Hunt.
By Jon Brodkin / News Staff Writer
Search Our Canadian Prescription Prices
close window