U.S. customs seizes $250,000 of Minnesota seniors' drugs

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U.S. customs seizes $250,000 of Minnesota seniors' drugs

 

CANADA: Pharmacy exported drugs to the Bahamas and then to the U.S.,

where Federal Express tipped off customs.

 

ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

MINNEAPOLIS - A Canadian pharmacy began sending out new shipments this

week to replace prescription drugs seized by U.S. Customs officials in

Miami.

 

About half of the 350 orders seized were intended for members of the

Minnesota Senior Federation, officials said.

 

CanadaRx, based in Toronto, shipped the drugs valued at $250,000 about

two weeks ago.

 

The drugs seized July 27 came from England, Germany, Switzerland,

France, New Zealand and Australia, as well as Canada, and were shipped

from Freeport, the Bahamas, in an attempt by CanadaRx to duck Canadian

laws prohibiting a pharmacy from importing drugs, then selling them

abroad, the Star Tribune reported.

 

The seizure came as Congress considers legislation to open U.S.

borders to freer trade in prescription drugs, which are cheaper in

most other countries because of price controls. The U.S. Food and Drug

Administration, called in after the U.S. Customs Service seized the

drugs, said its investigation is continuing, but it has decided there

is no ground for prosecution.

 

" We want to know a little more about these drugs, where they're coming

from, " said William Hubbard, FDA associate commissioner for policy.

" We're very concerned about the potential for harm from mislabeled or

counterfeit drugs. "

 

Harvey Organ, an owner of CanadaRx, said his firm talked with FDA

officials before opening the office in the Bahamas July 1.

 

" They knew what we were doing, " he said. " We keep talking with those

guys, and they listen and smile and then they pull something like this. "

 

FDA and CanadaRx officials said the shipment was seized after Federal

Express, which flew the load to Miami, alerted customs officials of a

large increase in shipments from CanadaRx in the Bahamas.

 

Organ said CanadaRx is sending out new shipments to affected customers

with a new shipper using a new point of entry, which he would not

disclose. He said he's beginning to clear a backlog of 3,000 orders

held up at the Bahamas office after the seizure.

 

" The drug companies are making this really hard, but I'm trying to get

drugs at Canadian prices from countries that match Canadian and U.S.

standards, " Organ said. " That means going to England and Switzerland

and places like that. "

 

Peter Wyckoff, executive director of the Minnesota Senior Federation,

said his organization gave CanadaRx permission to begin procuring

drugs from other countries, " and we're comfortable with that. We know

CanadaRx, and we know the standards in the other countries are excellent.

 

" The best solution is for our government to negotiate for fair prices.

But until Congress finally acts, our program at least helps people who

need reasonably priced medicine, " Wyckoff said.

 

The federation's two-year-old Canadian Prescription Drug Importation

Program serves about 6,000 members, most of them in Minnesota. The

federation now has members in every state, joining to use the drug

program.