Industry Articles
Industry Articles Home > Improving Quality of life for Seniors News
|
Drug importation comes under fire from pharmaceuticals, senior advocacy groups 2009-12-11 Democratic senators' bid to open America's borders to lower-cost foreign medications is catching flak from both the pharmaceutical industry and senior citizens' advocacy groups. Bloomberg reported this week that the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, an industry group, voiced strong opposition to the Senate proposal. "It would be a huge mistake for Congress to pursue policies that could expose Americans to counterfeit and substandard drug products," PHRMA senior vice president Ken Johnson was quoted as saying. Senior citizens' advocacy group RetireSafe echoed PHRMA's protest. Thair Phillips, the group's president, said that "the drug safety we expect and depend on" would be compromised by the amendment's passage. RetireSafe quoted a World Health Organization study that found 10 percent of drugs on the global market to be counterfeit. And, said the advocacy group, the United Nations estimates that prescription drug trafficking will soon outpace illegal drug abuse."For our seniors," he suggested, "there will be no way to know the perils they face with imported pills." Senators working on a healthcare reform bill are trying to cut costs wherever possible, but the risk of counterfeited drugs entering the U.S. market would be significant if Americans are free to buy prescription medications from foreign countries. Seniors should keep an eye on this important piece of healthcare legislation.  |
