Publisher of RxforAmericanHealth supports The Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act

St. Louis, MIssouri, January 20, 2015 (Newswire.com) - The publisher of RxforAmericanHealth, which advocates the rights of Americans to turn to personal importation of their prescription medicines says The Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act, co-sponsored by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John McCain (R-AZ)  is evidence that Congress recognizes that medicines from licensed registered pharmacies in Tier One countries are indeed safe.

Daniel Hines, who also publishes TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com, a leading informational website on aging in America issues, notes that “The bill, in and of itself,  refutes Section 708 of the misnamed Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA) which would permit the seizure and destruction of personally imported safe valid prescription medicines valued at $2500 or less for reasons that have nothing to do with safety or efficacy. “

"The bill, in and of itself, refutes Section 708 of the misnamed Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA) which would permit the seizure and destruction of personally imported safe valid prescription medicines valued at $2500 or less for reasons that have nothing to do with safety or efficacy

Daniel Hines, Publisher, Rx for AmericanHealth

Hines notes as one who has worked for more than 12 years on behalf of the right of Americans to purchase safe, affordable brand-name medicines from licensed, registered pharmacies in Tier One countries, whose standards of safety and efficacy meet or exceed those of the U.S. he is grateful for the long-standing support of personal importation by Senators Klobuchar and McCain.

“With their introduction and co-sponsorship of the Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act, the Senators show that there is Congressional recognition that personal importation can be conducted safely from Tier One countries, benefitting Americans who would otherwise be denied access to their medicines simply because they cannot afford the cost of medicines in the U.S.,” Hines says.

This legislation enables Americans wishing to engage in personal importation of medicines dispensed by Canadian pharmacies to do so under rules to be promulgated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. This is a significant mandate to the Secretary that differs from previous bills that only urged the Secretary to conduct studies on how personal importation could be made possible.

“Since the HHS Secretary would be obligated under the Klobuchar-McCain legislation to promulgate rules to enhance personal importation , the FDA, which is an HHS agency, should ensure that the rules it promulgates for Section 708 do not  destroy valid, safe personally imported medicines for reasons that have nothing to do with safety or efficacy,” Hines says.

He notes that one of the primary reasons for seizures under Section 708 is ‘misbranding’. This is the description of medicine labels that, even though they meet all the labeling requirements of the countries of origin from which they were dispensed, would be subject to seizure and destruction irrespective of their efficacy or safety because there is a difference between the label of the country from which the medicine is shipped and that of the U.S.

Medicines from Canada could be disallowed simply because they are printed in both English and French. This does not affect the safety or validity of the medicine, and even though they are for the very same medicines that would be allowed by The Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act, they could be disallowed by misapplication of Section 708.

“Support and passage of The Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act is a forceful signal to HHS, of which the FDA is an agency, that Congress recognizes that there are sources for safe personal importation of prescription medicines, and that this is to be the policy that Congress endorses, not unjustified seizures under Section 708, “ Hines continue.

Personal importation was started in the late 1990s by Elderly Americans crossing the border into Canada to fill their prescriptions. Today, large numbers of groups and municipalities across the US have entered into plans that offer choices for employees and members to purchase their medicines internationally from pharmacies in Tier One countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and The United Kingdom. 

Also, the Maine Legislature has enacted a law that allows its citizens to purchase brand name medicines from pharmacies in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.   

“Now, with their co-sponsorship of this bill, Senators Klobuchar and McCain continue to support the right and the ability of Americans to make responsible health care decisions.  This historic legislation will be a model for further advancing the safety, health and well-being of all Americans,” Hines concludes.