Customs cracking down on out-of-country medications.

[Hazumu]

This could have gone in the Politics forum, or the HRT forum.  I decided to put it here for now (admins, please move this topic as you see fit.)

Recently, the US Customs has been seizing more shipments of prescription medications.  The seizure rate has gone up from under 1% to well over 5%.  Below are some links to articles and websites.

For those of us who obtain our meds online (under medical care, of course,) this is ominous.

I prefer to order 3 months' worth at a time -- it's easier that way.  But I just split my order into two in case one of the orders is seized -- I don't want to be scrambling in a panic mode because I'm about to run out of meds. (I also told the credit card company what I'd done so the double orders don't trip the security and shut down the card.)

What a bother... 

Karen

http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/diseases/articles/2006/03/26/us_steps_up_seizures_of_imported_drugs/

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-15-2006/0004321011&EDATE=

http://billnelson.senate.gov/news/details.cfm?id=251897&

http://fsnews.findlaw.com/articles/ap/o/51/03-09-2006/92fc0009f7b4b8d7.html

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/health/20060309-1003-importingdrugs.html

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=39580

http://agebeat.blogspot.com/2006/02/customs-releases-seized-medicine.html

http://www.customs.treas.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/highlights/foreign_medication.xml

http://www.onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_486.shtml

[stephanie_craxford]

Hey there Luana.

I believe that this situation has nothing directly to do with your government but everything to do with the huge pharmaceutical companies and the influence they wield over your government.  And the simple question is why are the same drugs produced by the same company available here so much cheeper.  For myself my HRT is prescribed and I claim it through my Ontario Health insurance Plan which in turn bills the government.  I know that your States do not have such plans in place and I believe that the pharmaceuticals are the reasons why, it's a question of profits.

Steph