Uh, anyone surprised about THIS devlopment??"Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., called the certification amendment, introduced by Sen. Thad Cochran (news, bio, voting record), R-Miss., a "poison pill" for the drug-imports legislation."
And so, two groups are celebrating: Drug companies, and "Canadian" Internet pharmacies who can continue to operate in the grey trade zone created by this fiasco.
I can hear champagne corks popping on both sides of the border . . .
6 comments:
Yeah. Saw this in my local paper up here. Just sighed because we may be looking into a Canadian prescription because of all the trouble to get something actually approved by our fabulous Blue Shield...
Its a shame.
Might there still be some loopholes, such as drug importation from Israel? The Canada issue was just a matter of time in any case. We are going to have a North American Union, remember?
Meanwhile the California Nurses Association is organizing with the AFL-CIO to get Universal Healthcare through Medicare for everyone. Last bastion, apparently, is the South, but conferences on the way. I do not see how that would work, except as an universal health insurance for everyone and higher taxation for Medicare withholding out of the paycheck. But, in case it would work, maybe the Medicare part D could be extended to include everyone?
By the way, do labor unions still hold ANY power? I thought the Ronald had taken care of that, in the eighties, and efficiently.
Lets face it, the Bigpharma is still wining and wining big. Yes they have few setbacks (BMS, Pfizer, A/Z,Wyeth,Schering-Plough) that got caught, exposed and paid the "price". We think it is a good "price" ( read fine that hurts them) but not them. Maybe even in cases of these companies, the champagne bottles got opened in the boardrooms to celebrate what did not happen. They could have done much worse if they got what they deserved considering the way they broke the laws and the way they strip-mined our health care systems and sick people for thier maximazation of profits. So they in fact had a reason to celebrate even in those cases. So no wonder this decision is a wonderful reason for them to get into those luxury boardrooms and celebrate, everywhere from Basel to New York city. USA market is the most important market for every big pharma co. be it Swiss, German or American. And they would do anything to potect it from any desturbance that would upset the current balance that is so much in their favour.
The "poor" internet pharmacists from Canada are just the lucky seaguls who are feeding on what ever is left as the big humpwhale gobbles down what he "deserves" as the biggest thing on the block.
You can also imagine the same companies in Canada. They should be upset over this for they were complainig that the export to US via internet pharmacies would cause a shortage in Canada of these drugs. Not true for the internet seaguls could not possibly supply even 1-2% of drug needs south of the border even if they worked 38 hours per day. The only way it could be done with proper export as it was planned. But that ain't going to happen.
So another wonderful reason to celebrate in the Bigpharmaland.
For those who do not see this as reason to open that bottle of cheap wine, please do not lose hope. We can win and we will.
Awesome Comment Insider. No surprise, you are Swiss, where you get universal health care, fair medication prices, and social justice. Of course, its all relative. I try not to give up hope, but the fines mean little to the PHAMA co's. Just the added cost of doing business.
Cheers... :(
Thanks doc.bk. I am a swissinsider but have Canadian health care benefits. close enough but it ain't Swiss. You are right the Swiss have it made and it was all done (mainly) on pharmaceuticals, watches and swiss army knifes and Swiss chesee with holes thrown in for nothing.
Although they have now only two really big pharma cos. the two are worth as much as medium Euro country with income to match.
The CEO of the larger one makes 44 million Swiss francs in base salary. Not bad for selling pills.
Only in Bigpharmaland, pity!
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