AMERICANS SUPPORT CANADIAN DRUG IMPORTATION, POLL SHOWS

Despite warnings from the federal government and the pharma industry about the potential for drugs purchased from foreign pharmacies to be counterfeit, four out of five Americans favor legalizing importation of drugs if they are cheaper, according to a recent poll.

The survey, conducted last month by Harris Interactive on behalf of The Wall Street Journal and released Sept. 15, shows many in this country disregarding claims of counterfeiting, with 84 percent saying they believe the law prohibiting drug importation serves only to project drug companies' profits. Seventy-seven percent said the government's policy of confiscating drugs imported from Canada "jeopardizes" the health of some Americans.

While only 10 percent of the respondents said they had ever bought prescription drugs from a foreign country, that percentage is double what it was in 2002.

Changes to the importation ban are currently being debated by Congress. The Senate in July passed an amendment prohibiting customs agents from intercepting drugs purchased in Canada, while a competing measure approved by the House would allow importation from any country. PhRMA opposes the initiatives, saying the likelihood of counterfeiting endangers the safety and quality of the American drug supply.

Just last month, the FDA issued a warning against buying drugs from certain Canadian websites that have their orders filled by Mediplan Prescription Plus Pharmacy or Mediplan Global Health in Manitoba, Canada, because many of the drugs may come from other countries.