As of mid-July 2006, U.S. Customs had seized more than 37,000 prescription drug packages from Canada.  That practice came under fire from lawmakers who said that it deprived tens of thousands of seniors of lower cost prescription drugs, and that it protected the high prices charged by U.S. drug manufacturers.  Prescription drugs cost significantly less in Canada, because the government negotiates lower prices for its citizens.

If you haven't already signed our Petition to Congress to Support Market Access to Prescription Drugs, please do so right now!

Recently, TSCL's legislative staff traveled to Minnesota where we learned first-hand how thousands of seniors have had prescriptions they ordered over the internet seized by Customs.  According to the stories we heard, some had to reorder their prescriptions, and pay for them all over again.  Yet even after doing so they reported that they still saved money, compared with purchasing the drugs in the U.S.

Over the years TSCL has repeatedly faced off with the pharmaceutical industry - the nation's largest and most well-funded lobbying group.  TSCL is fighting for legislation like the "Pharmaceutical Market Access Act" (H.R. 328) in the last Congress.  This bill would allow seniors to reimport less costly FDA-approved drugs from Canada and certain other nations.

TSCL receives no income from prescription drug plans, drug manufacturers, or funding from the federal government.  Our newspaper ad campaigns were 100 percent paid for by the contributions of thousands of readers like you.  We thank you for helping us to fight the big pharmaceutical "Goliath" and promise to continue as an independent non-partisan voice in the fight to lower drug costs in 2007.

Sources:  "U.S. To Stop Seizing Canadian Medicine," John Carreyrou, The Wall Street Journal, October 4, 2006.

January 2007