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Americans Would Allow Imported Drugs
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States would do away with existing restrictions on the sale of medicines, according to a poll by Ipsos-Public Affairs released by the Associated Press. 69 per cent of respondents favour making it easier for people to buy prescription drugs from other countries.
In August 2004, U.S. president George W. Bush said he would not be "the president that says we'll allow for importation, and all of a sudden drugs that are manufactured somewhere else come in over the Internet and it begins to harm our citizens."
In a February 2005 Democratic radio address, Montana governor Brian Schweitzer voiced his support for the importation of prescription drugs from Canada, saying questions about safety are "manufactured by American companies" and "unfounded."
In Canada, the cost of prescription drugs is set by the Patent Medicines Prices Review Board. Several Internet websites sell Canadian medicines to American customers at a noticeably lower price.
This month, Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to introduce amendments to the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, which contains a "non-interference" provision that forbids the federal government from involving itself in drug price controls. Earlier this month, Democratic North Dakota senator Byron Dorgan said Americans could save "about $50 billion U.S. over the next 10 years" if imported medicines are allowed.
Polling Data
Do you favour or oppose making it easier for people to buy prescription drugs from other countries?
Favour | 69% |
Oppose | 28% |
Not sure | 3% |
Source: Ipsos-Public Affairs / Associated Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,004 American adults, conducted from Dec. 19 to Dec. 21, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.