Measures how to clamp down on Internet pharmacies

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Canada will soon announce measures to clamp down on Internet pharmacies that send cheap medicine to the United States, often without Canadian doctors seeing the patients, Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh said on Thursday.

Dosanjh, who says the practice is immoral, has for months been studying a number of options on how to restrict a trade worth around C$850 million ($690 million) a year.

Canada, unlike the United States, sets limits on how much pharmaceutical firms can charge for their drugs.

Dosanjh says Canada does not have the resources to become a cheap supplier for Americans hunting for cheaper medication.

Asked by reporters when he would make the announcement, he replied: “Very soon.” Canada’s cabinet will hold a retreat next Wednesday and Dosanjh is likely to unveil his plans then.

Several bills to allow importation of foreign drugs are now before the U.S. Congress, and cities and states have also taken action. U.S. pharmaceutical companies have threatened to halt shipments to Canada if the drugs are simply shipped back to the United States and sold at levels that undercut U.S. prices.

Dosanjh could slap a total ban on exports of price-controlled patented drugs or ban sales to people who are not resident or present in Canada.

Other options include making it illegal for Canadian doctors to countersign prescriptions from U.S. doctors, banning bulk exports of drugs or creating a list of drugs whose export would be banned if shortages or potential shortages developed.

Supporters of Internet pharmacies, which are largely based in the central province of Manitoba, say a crackdown will only result in the pharmacies moving to another country. 

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