Linda Seccaspina

The Tayles of Emileeeeee McPheeeeee

Linda Seccaspina

Linda Seccaspina
Location
WHOOOOOOOOOOOVILLE, Peaceful
Birthday
July 24
Title
The Maiden of Death
Company
When you wish upon a star
Bio
Linda's column can now be read in The Humm newspaper and online. My books "Menopausal Woman From the Corn" "Cowansville High Misremembered" and "Naked Yoga, Twinkies and Celebrities" now available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle >>>>>>>Profile Photo by Diana Ani Stokely GRAFIX to go>>>>>>>> Cover also done by Diana Ani Stokely GRAFIX to go.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> "Cowansville High School Misremembered" book is now out as a fundraiser for the school._______________________ ________________***Linda's writing can be read Monday to Friday on Zoomers.ca where links to her stories have been picked up by Time Online, USA Today and Huffington Post from other sites she has blogged on.She is also a contributor on Yahoo.....>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Linda's Photo's can be seen on: http://linda-seccaspina.fineartamerica.com/____________________________________ Follow her on Twitter @@Mcpheeeeee. Linda Seccaspina was born in Cowansville Quebec about the same time the wheel was invented. _____________________________________ She used to own clothing stores in Ottawa and Toronto Ontario Canada from 1974-1996 called Flash Cadilac, Savannah Devilles, Nightmares and Flaming Groovies. _____________________________________ Her brain tries to writes stories about her menopausal life and a host of other things she gets annoyed at. _____________________________________ She has two sons, Schuyleur and one that does not want his name mentioned. She has a grandson called Romeo who is a Boston Terrier and a grandaughter Bella who is a french bulldog. _____________________________________ Linda loves people quite plain and simple and loves to hug.. Yes, she is one of "those".

JUNE 17, 2012 12:03PM

Are You Being Mugged For Your Drugs?

Rate: 41 Flag

 

 


Andrew Strempler was arrested in Florida last week, yet very few people outside of Canada know who he is. Strempler was one of the first Canadians that dared offer cheaper drugs to Americans by operating a cross-border online pharmacy. Presently Andrew is facing charges in Miami related to the sale of foreign and counterfeit medicine, according to Huffington Post.

 

 


Strempler was the founder of the online drug dispensary RxNorth.com and then sold it to competitor CanadaDrugs.com in January of 2008. The 38-year-old online pharmaceutical pioneer appeared in Miami federal court last Thursday and faces up to 20 years in prison for each of the charges against him.

 

The Canadian pharmacist could be also forced to pay $95-million dollars of what the USA FDA alleges are the proceeds from his crime.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The FDA's problem is that they claim most of the Canadian drugs came from other countries. Strempler responded that  “it was just one more ploy to prevent cash strapped Americans from getting cheaper drugs outside the US”.

 


So who is actually helping who?

 

 

Each morning when one of the 49% of Americans who are on some sort of prescription plan open their medicine cabinet, the last thing they think about is where it was made. The American public has no idea that 40% of all drugs they use actually come from overseas, and approximately 80% of the active ingredients used to make these drugs come from foreign countries like Thailand, China and India.

 

 

No matter how hard the FDA argues, there really isn’t any difference between Canadian drugs and those sold in the US when it comes to quality. Surprisingly, some of the drugs sold in Canada are manufactured and shipped from the US and later repacked for the Canadian population. In Canada it's mandatory that each prescription has an expiry date, unlike the US where in some states, that information isn't required by drugstores to be disclosed.

 

 

 

Let's face it Canadian drugs are cheaper than those of our neighbour south-of the-border because the Canadian government regulates them and even puts a ceiling on the amount the pharmacies can charge for them. The heads of the land also monitor the wholesale prices so all Canadians can afford medication. New drugs are tested for effectiveness as compared to original ones and the provinces of Quebec and Ontario also have their own restrictions on the use of new and expensive medication.

 


There are lower liability costs in Canadian pharmaceutical companies because Canadians are not litigious by nature and awards and damages are lower and have ceilings. Canadian online pharmacies require a prescription and are dispensed with genuine drugs that are safe and effective from licensed pharmacists. The drugs are cheaper simply because they are not being controlled by huge health-care and pharmaceutical companies.

 


Wonder how large the differences are?

 


Diovan for High Blood Pressure 
USA- $73
Canada-$40.00

 

 

Lipitor (atorvastatin) to lower cholesterol
USA-$86.00
Canada- $51.00

Most people have no idea that the popular drug Lipitor is actually made in the Dominican Republic under FDA regulations, not manufactured in the US. The generic version is now being made in India.

 

 


On the CBC News online site a former pharmacist had an interesting story that he posted in the comments section. The gentleman was a former employee of a Canadian internet pharmacy that was providing low cost drugs to American seniors who were fed up paying 2-3 times more, unlike Canadian retirees.

 


His employer purchased their drugs from the very same wholesalers that the FDA-accused Strempler and Canadian drugstore chains buy them from. In 2006 the FDA declared that some of their shipments to the U.S. were illegal because the labeling was done in French and English, which is mandatory in Canada. They also decreed that it did not contain a FDA number but it did have the Canadian DIN on it, which is Canada's Drug Identification numbers. In reality it had nothing to do with the quality of the drugs; just another loophole to stop cross-border business.

 

 

 

 

He also wrote that any Canadian drugstore going over their Pfizer drug quotas allegedly had their business put on hold until they could prove that none of their products were being exported to the US. This was the exact same time that the FDA began to have issues with Mr. Strempler in 2006. The commenter ended by saying that Mr. Strempler was honest and dedicated to his patients and that his only fault was success and going up against the monopoly of the pharmaceutical monsters.

 

 

 

After continued pressure from both sides of the border Strempler agreed to the removal of his name on the Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association registry. Not happy with the proceedings he began operating in a free-trade zone in Curacao, located in the Caribbean. Strempler was finally deported from Panama this week, taken into custody by U.S Marshals and flown to Miami. Of course the FDA will not comment on the arrest but warned the public to be careful with online drug purchasing.

 

 


Consumers are told they should not purchase Canadian, or drugs from overseas because they aren't as safe as the American made, yet most ingredients are imported. The idea that Canadians are buying unsafe drugs in their pharmacies is just too ludicrous to discuss. According to Consumer reports 48% of Americans cut health care costs by either declining doctor's visits, tests or ordering drugs online. Seeing that is an increase of 9% since 2010 why are the health care giants bent on keeping prices for the U.S. customer artificially high?

 

 

   

 

 

Americans are dying because they cannot afford their life-saving drugs so how dare a foreign country like Canada give Americans a break on their prescription drugs. Find me anyone in public office that does not have good insurance plan that covers their prescription drug needs, unlike much of the long suffering American public.

 

 

After I wrote this I sent the draft to two of my American friends. One said it was interesting and the other said he knew most of the content. This made me angry,  because if you understand what is going on and are interested- where is the outrage? It is common knowledge that Medicare Part D isn't working and the American public has to make important choices when it comes to getting their prescriptions filled.

 

What can be said with certainty is that these issues would not happen if Americans had been given a proper health care program. Were they to see "health care as a public service, instead of a commodity to be bought and sold for profit", as I keep reading, then there would be no desire to buy drugs online from another country or Mr. Strempler.


 


 

 

 

 

Part 3 of Canadian News Can be Interesting!

 

The Graphic Content Lives of Luka Magnotta & Karla Homolka

 

Toronto Eaton Centre Shooting - Has Canada's Bubble Burst?

 

 

Photograph by: FRED GREENSLADE , Winnipeg Free Press

Shirt Photo by: badideatshirts.com

Mountie- by Medicare Resource Centre 

 

 

 

 
 

Now available on Amazon US and Amazon Canada. Canadians please contact me for books to get cheaper shipping.

Or buy the Kindle version now available on the US site.

 

Linda Blogs about this and that daily on:

 

 

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R for right on, Linda!
Thank heaven that so far I'm only taking generics for diabetes, cost about 60 cents a day.
Informative article Linda. It runs counter to a lot of other products that are slightly more expensive in Canada. I wonder if any of OS's free market types will chime in to explain how the system is working optimally.
Thanks everybody else..love the name hahah
Jmac.. I think it just shocks me what the public does not know
Abrawang.. I think anything for your health is priority and you should not have to go bankrupt to afford it.. yes there are other things that are more expensive in Canada but I think you can live without them
Great post. You said it well in the last paragraph- if prescription drugs were reasonable in the US, this wouldn't be an issue.
and kevin.. you know better than anyone with what you went through
My father's medication is purchased from an on-line Canadian pharmacy because it's significantly cheaper. Interesting post on one of the many aspects of the pathetic state of U.S. healthcare. Too bad that 40% of pharmaceuticals made overseas aren't made in the U.S. anymore. Also too bad Americans still have no interest in healthcare reform. Oh well.
margaret: I was honestly shocked at the percentage of ingredients not made in the US. More jobs gone over seas..
So sad that your Dad has to do that. The fact that there never is an uprising boggles my mind. People just lay down and take it.
Oh,there's outrage, all right. Nobody's figured out how to grab the U.S. Legislature by its short hairs and drag it into the 21st century, is all.
I love it when you shake up the U.S. status quo, Linda!
Rated
poor woman.. its started after someone I knew had to choose between food and medicine. That really got me mad.
Where is the outrage?! That is a good question. Thank you for all the info. Poor Strempler. Hope he is ok.
One of, if not the most disappointing thing about the Obama Administration has been their inability to rein in health care and prescription costs. Obamacare is a half measure, and while I understand the political realities of something like a single payer system, if Obama had more guts and gone for the gold, we'd have would up with a better middle ground that we're going to get with the current plan.
Health care costs are soaring because we have a Medical-Industrial Complex which is Hell-Bent on foisting all sorts of useless and/or dangerous interventions on people, while keeping the price of the interventions that actually do some good artifically high, by tactics such as those you describe here. Great post.
"Seeing that is an increase of 9% since 2010 why are the health care giants bent on keeping prices for the U.S. customer artificially high?"

For lower costs and higher profit, they don't need all those patients to make the same amount of money. With publicly traded corporations it's not personal that more people will suffer or die, they're not in business to keep people alive, they're in it to make the most profit.

I didn't know about this story but I'm not surprised that they would find a way to punish anyone who would interfere with them making the most profit. They are willing to destroy outsiders, or each other, that's the big corporation way. Thanks for the post.
Thank you for the excellent article. There is outrage and there is also sheer exhaustion. These prescription drug regulations have the most harmful effects on people who are at their weakest and most vulnerable point in life -- the elderly, the disabled and the chronically ill. These are the people who, as you say, must often choose between food and their medication. It is difficult for them to advocate for change as they are simply struggling to stay alive. Constructive articles like yours will shed light on the problem and hopefully ignite those of us who are able to advocate to do so in an informed and proactive manner. Well done!
Another "Hit" from the proud owners of this country. Excellent post, Linda. R
I believe it is the same thing with blood diamonds. The horrors that the DeBeers and all of the other Europeans inflicted on Africans and others get ignored. That whole "blood diamond" thing was to keep "unauthorized" diamonds from reaching the markets.

Big Pharma is in trouble, though. Their patents are running out and any company can now make cheap generic versions. I wonder how they are getting those laws changed to keep stealing from us.

Great article and a Zumapick!
This hits the nail on the head: "Were they to see health care as a public service, instead of a commodity to be bought and sold for profit . . ." Rated.
Strempler will be punished Zanelle and will be put in jail. They are also going after other Canadian online drug companies too. BUT the ones they should go after are the ones in India etc. Unless you know what you are getting, you could be getting something else.

Rugrat_ well said thank you

Patrick- Thank you kindly and the words Hell-Bent are the important ones here. They will do anything they can for a profit.

Bleue- it shows you how far they will go
Elizabeth- The American people are a smart people but why are they not protesting? Is it because we have entered into a somewhat Orwellian society where every protest is squashed at the beginning like Occupy?
I made this in a larger font on purpose. Most of us Boomers have a hard time reading without the bi-focals now , but need to wake up.
Seniors are suffering Boomers are on the edge. Everyone needs to read the fine print and no what is about to happen.


Thanks kind Thoth!

Zuma: I never thought about it like that but it is right. how are they getting away with it?
Money talks!
I get a med from a Canadian firm. Let the bastards here try to arrest me.


RATED.
Susan.. I doubt we will ever see that.. sad to say..
Jon: wow you are such a radical..:)
Susan.. I doubt we will ever see that.. sad to say..
Jon: wow you are such a radical..:)
What I don't understand is why we can't get on a ballot to vote for the need for all Americans to have the exact same health care as the people who supposedly work for us, the president, congress, etc...why can't we do that?
Lunchlady: because the population is not part of their special club? I have to ask myself how a paid representative feels when he stops his car at a red light and sees someone begging for change. Does he ever think about it or does it vanish?
"The gentleman was a former employee of a Canadian internet pharmacy that was providing low cost drugs to American seniors who were fed up paying 2-3 times more ... "

Could you provide an example of drugs costing "2-3 times more" in the U.S.?

Your blog shows 2 drug cost comparisons but neither are even twice as much in the U.S. as Canada.

Since the main point of this post is the outrageous cost of U.S. drugs versus Canadian outlets, it would be nice to see a reputable citation of the claim of drugs costing 2-3 times more.

Thanks.
important post, linda
the outrage is here, spewing out in too many directions, co-opted by wolves in sheep's clothing
@LL2: Because he who has the gold makes the rules, dearie! And corporate America has that gold,so it makes one ruling after another. The US Constitution has v=been ripped apart on that money, and Congress knows it, but they're more afraid of the money men than of losing your vote.
It's a racket. They've runCongress for years.
Sad, but so.
:(
@JoiseyShore, I personally think that 60 - 70% higher cost is significant. Linda provided the comparison, and noted that it was a commentator that mentioned the 2 to three times higher cost. It was not her statement.
So, are you implying that 60 or 70% or more is not worth getting in a twist over? What number would catch your attention?

Interesting article, Linda.
r./
Thank you islandtime for your comment and if everyone like Joisey would take the energy of their comments to the appropriate heads of state the country might be in a better condition.
People are hurting here in their decisions.
Linda, this was so well researched. My doctor just prescribed a drug for my pain which is $160.00 a month. I guess I just won't eat!/r
Great reporting Linda. This is ridiculous!!
Christine.. I write fluffy pieces every day so on the weekend when I have more time I write what I feel is very important and use my internship experience haha. Seriously.. that is just awful..

Hayley.. I agree and when will it end.
@joisey-shore: There are just too many individual examples to be cited to impress you about large price differences, so here's a summary. It's a few years old but probably still very accurate:

"Using the U.K. as a benchmark valued at 100, Belgium's drug prices ran at 122 in 2008, while Spain's came in at 109 and Sweden's at 116. The U.S.? According to this index, 2008 prices were rated at 252, more than 100 points higher than the second-place country, Germany, which ran at 142.

Read more: How do international drug prices stack up? - FiercePharma http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/how-do-international-drug-prices-stack/2009-12-16#ixzz1y60r6BlR

We can place the blame on sweetheart deals, Bush Medicare reform, collusion, or whatever, but the basic fact is that the pharma indistry is just one an aggressively profit-maximizing segment of the free market. Every drug company employs an army of "pricing specialists" who sit with sales data and computer algorithms that basically look at how many people will stop taking the med or buy their it from Canada, etc. if they raise the price in the US, and then calculate the net increase in their bottom line due to the higher costs for those who will still buy it. (I doubt they ever look at the effect of price decreases!).

At the center of the problem are the doctors who prescribe with very little attention to the cost of the medicine. Changing this is one aspect of Obamacare that most people can get behind.

Incidentally, most fake and substandard drugs come from China, not India. The Indian industry has done a huge benefit to developing (and developed) countries by making good quality generic drugs available at low cost, especially for HIV/AIDS.
PS - economists refer to that kind of analysis using terms like "price elasticity" and "demand elasticity". If you are at a cocktail party and can't remember these technical terms, just think of what your underwear loses after being washed and dried too many times. And that's why people are getting fed up with Big Pharma too, except for investors.
Joe

I have an aversion to doctors and have some meds from India- weird smell but they work and are the same.

If you read the link about Medicare D that I put in.. it will tell you how doctors seldom give you generic drugs where in Canada and I know for a fact- they are first on their doling out list..


Government controls the pharmaceuticals in Canada not enterprise and guys pushing pens- which is also similar to the banks and mortgage companies and Canada also did not go down the mudslide like the poor US did.


It's called looking out for your people. Canada is not the only place that deso it. Great Britain, France etc all have similar health plans. Even Cuba for gosh sakes you can get better health care.

Such a great great country being run by the mighty big buck

http://tucsoncitizen.com/medicare/2012/06/12/medicare-part-d-are-you-being-ripped-off/
joe: I think I will carry that vision around with me for the rest of my life..:)
My Dad goes back and forth between Wal-Mart's $4, or is it $8 now, a month generics and the VA. Whichever is cheaper. I guess it keeps him active, the juggling, but it is ridiculous.

Here's what I don't understand. What is the outrage supposed to do? I've been outraged before, wrote letters to Congressmen, and got back a thanks but I'm going to do it anyway response. How do we change it?
Phyllis.. ya know I wish I knew but there has to be some point where government will listen.. because right now everything is out of control. Like Christine G prescribed the 160 bucks a month medicine. Are you just supposed to accept that and say nothing?
I have a friend who had breast cancer twice and after the second time her insurance dumped her. WTH?
Is everyone just supposed to roll over and play dead?
Linda, the laws are written by politicians who get paid by the pharmaceutical companies. There. It is out in the open. No longer a secret. Now, if we could just figure out why we have all these wars?
Scanner,, I think its time they shared the $$$
you just dont get the whole evil picture, dear linda.

see, we stress these goddamn old geezers out so much
they need more drugs cuz of the stress.
well, where they gonna get it ?

from the american economy, the current one and only
god on
earth.

jesus aint here to right things.

he would say,why u need them drugs, old man?
cuzza the damn stress!
i got a cure for that!
what????
me!
oh fuck off.
no i won't.
why not? i am going on an undercover mission north to get me some anti depressants cuz i am old.also maybe some
booze.

shame on you.
o go yer way.i know all about u You hippie.

what?
you & yer pot. i had to jump thru hoops with my grandaughter for that shit.

ha etc.
James..

aint no hippie..:)
jesus aint here to right things
then where is he??:)
HUGGGGGG
Awesome post Linda! Amen. Americans must get activated on this issue, and a number of others. Complacency is our most dangerous ailment! Common sense will out.....I hope.
maureen.. I think we need to find some common sense first..:)
Maybe "roll over and play dead" isn't the greatest metaphor here Linda ;) Healthcare is a gigantic part of our economy. Say what you want about healthcare reform under Hilary or Obama, every step closer to cost controls is a move in the right direction. Unfortunately, Big Pharma and private insurers have more than enough clout to make sure too much won't come out of their bottom lines.

Maybe it's about the precious "freedom of choice" many people invoke when they rant against socialized medicine. (I deliberately left out inverted commas because I think it is a perfectly good description for medicine that works for society). You want to choose which doctor you see? Fine, then the doctor wants the same right to choose which expensive drug she prescribes for you.

Note: if there was a real free market for healthcare, doctors would publish their med school grades online and hospitals their infection and accidental death rates.
@Linda
Your blog ... your assertion. It would be nice to see a citation. Absent one, I will conclude a misinformation spread.

@ordinaryjoe
Thank you for attempting to answer the question. However, the link to the report detailing the findings does not work. All one can see is a post showing the pricing index claims.

And is the index based on a ratio-scale or interval scale? And is the index data even linear?

If you are at a cocktail party and can't remember these technical terms, just think of a person'a age as a ratio-scale and a doctor's question about pain intensity using a 1-to-10 rating as an interval scale.
BTW, how's that writing to your senator/congressperson and/or electing a President working out for y'all?
Your piece forgot a couple of things. Yes some drug prices are higher. Yes you can go to Canada and Mexico and buy the same drug, in the same bottle, for less. And, yes, the drug companies are a for profit business just like the one that you work for.

The drug companies also, according to the FTC, spend ~1.2B dollars to bring a drug to market. They also have a failure rate of almost 80% when they do trials. Finally just because they put out their millions and millions of dollars and bet the odds and get it approved by the FDA that doesn't mean that the drug will be successful and profitable.
Did someone say citations?

The United States has an obesity rate of 30.6%, and Mexico is 24.2%. Is it a coincidence that the two countries without socialized medicine have the highest obesity rates in the world? The United Kingdom has a rate of 23%, Slovakia 22.4%, Greece 21.9%, Australia 21.7%, New Zealand 20.9%, Hungary 18.8%, Luxembourg 18.4%, Czech Republic 14.8%, Canada 14.3%, Spain 13.1%, Ireland 13%, Germany 12.9%, Portugal 12.8%, Finland 12.8%, Iceland 12.4%, Turkey 12%, Belgium 11.7%, Netherlands 10%, Sweden 9.7%, Denmark 9.5%, France 9.4%, Austria 9.1%, Italy 8.5%, Norway 8.3%, Switzerland 7.7%, Japan 3.2%, and South Korea 3.2%. The infant mortality rate in the previously mentioned countries out of 1000 are Slovakia 7.1, United States 6.4, South Korea 6.1, Italy 5.7, New Zealand 5.7, Greece 5.3, Ireland 5.2, United Kingdom 5.0, Portugal 4.9, Netherlands 4.9, Luxembourg 4.7, Canada 4.6, Australia 4.6, Belgium 4.6, Austria 4.5, Denmark 4.5, Spain 4.3, Switzerland 4.3, France 4.2, Germany 4.1, Czech Republic 3.9, Norway 3.6, Finland 3.5, Iceland 3.3, Japan 3.2, and Sweden 2.8. Slovakia is the only country with higher infant mortality rates than the United States but in standard of living Slovakia is closer to Mexico. The infant mortality rate in Mexico is a staggering, 19.6. The average life expectancy in the Unites States is 78.06. The comparison countries in order are: Japan 82.02, Sweden 80.63, Australia 80.62, Switzerland 80.62, Iceland 80.43, Canada 80.34, France 80.59, Italy 79.94, Spain 79.78, Norway 79.78, Greece 79.38, Austria 79.21, Netherlands 79.11, South Korea 79.10, Luxemburg 79.03, New Zealand 78.96, Germany 78.95, Belgium 78.92, and Finland 78.66. Countries with a lower life expectancy than America are the Czech Republic 76.42, Poland 75.19, Slovakia 74.95, Hungary 72.92, and Turkey 72.88. Most of these countries are the bankrupt former satellites of the Soviet Union again they are more comparable to Mexico 75.84. The only aberrations are Ireland 77.9 and Portugal 77

These are the 3 main criteria that the World Health Organization uses to monitor the health of a country's populace. But I have to tell you that I am tired of jousting with words with mentally handicapped people who think they will decide the fate of the country my forefathers fought and died for. Its time for the streets of America to flow red with the blood of traitors and their illiterate fan club. I write really well but I will tell you what I do better than write. I fight and I fight really well: guns, knives, or fists. You call it. Anyway you want it your gonna lose just like all the the back shooting mobsters in NYC that came up against me. I don’t want to write anymore. I wanna settle this in the age old American tradition. Let the the last man standing write the rules for a ‘Brave New World.’
Who needs death panels with the FDA running interference for Big Pharma? Thanks for the background, Linda.
In the end it is always about the price of drugs. Why is that and what have we all become?
catnlion, sorry to retort that you are parroting the never-fail pharma propaganda. Yes, they have to make a profit and keep researching, but bear in mind that a lot of the "successes" are basically copycat drugs that do what others already on the market do. And why does that mean they can gouge one country while giving a fair break to another? Furthermore, since they are all publicly-held companies they have to keep goosing their profits to keep shareholders happy, and they do - the profits (and that includes research and development costs) of most of the largest dozen US pharma companies are measured in the billions of dollars each.
@ordinaryjoe

6 of the top-10 "Big Pharma" companies are foreign-owned. FYI, so let's move away from the "evil" U.S. pharmaceutical empire line.

Also, if someone does try to produce a statistic that American drug costs are "2-3 times as more" than in Canada, let's take into account generic versions of said drug(s).

My guess would be that drugs in the U.S. only cost slightly more and definitely NOT 2-3 times more than Canadian prices.

@JackHeart
1) you're scary and typical of a gun-toting, redneck asshat
2) I'll bet obesity is the lowest in Africa ... I sure wouldn't want their healthcare system ... and what does obesity rates and average-age-of-death have to do with refuting the claim in the blog author's post?
Linda, it has often been reported that at least 40% of the price of prescription drugs in the USA goes to advertising costs--that is, the pharmaceutical companies self-promotion. We are paying for those TV ads that say '"Ask you doctor if X is right for you." It is also revealing that the most pious Free Trade advocates suddenly are opposed to US citizens being able to purchase cheaper drugs from abroad--even when those drugs were actually manufactured in the US. Suddenly the "free enterprise" gospel is suspended if not repealed, if it threatens to reduce profits for big companies. [r]
Joe- in Canada we have choices to our doctors and choices on drugs - generic etc but agreed now doctor choices are slimmer and harder as most of our doctors head south after graduation where they can make big money. The hemorrhaging started years ago and the population is paying the price. In California if you go to Kaiser you will not know who you get as your doctor.
As for listing your credentials.. in the Ottawa area I can verify that there is now a Yelp sort of system that you can see what credentials they have and people comment on their service. Some of it is ugly trust me.


Joisey: I checked my links but obviously one is not working and will check them after. I suggest the comments you have you take them to your politicians. People are so easy to criticize others but put a sock in it when it comes to stuff that matters. Hence you have a society that accepts.

Catn Lion.. Funny.. you should mention that. I watched the movie The Fugitive last night and had no idea that the premise was about durg companies pushing a drug with false reports that did not work on heart patients. It has been going on forever.


Jack.. Just got up and read this.. Yowsers.. Now what chance do you think with these new generations when they take over the country?
Health Care? Brave new World?? More like 1984

Matt: agreed
Algis.. it seems to be the Robin Hood mantra
You know joisy... 1-2 2-3 3-4

NO matter what it is- drugs are cheaper in Canada and you are being screwed in this country.


Donegal... I have never seen an ad i n Canada except for cold and headaches in Canada and in the US the airwaves are saturated.. And how about those side effects? Yikes!
If you can't produce a reputable citation that supports the statement "American seniors who were fed up paying 2-3 times more" for drugs, then please remove or modify that phrase from the post.
Joisy.. this is the last time I am going to comment.
This was the pharmacist comment.. COMMENT..

read this..
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2011/12/why-americans-pay-so-much-for-brand-name-drugs/
BTW Joisey.. all my links work and for goodness sakes put some sugar on it.
This comment is from my mother in-law who commented on my other site.

This is one granny who does buy her Rx from Canada. We have a shop that actually finds the cheapest meds - one month my Premarin may come from Canada, another from New Zealand. What would cost me $280.00 for 3 months generally costs less than $60.00. So why the difference? My meds come from countries that have socialzed medicine - and therefore they are not spending all that money for lobbying and advertising. We need a single payer system!!
Thanks for the link, Linda.

On it (your link!), in really big letters and using pictures, it shows that Canadians pay 77% of what Americans pay for the top-30 drugs.

Basic math, therefore, yields that Americans pay 30% more for drugs. Not 200% - 300% more.

So now the issue turns into, why would you include a quote from a pharmacist who is absolutely wrong about his figures as it relates to USA drug costs in your blog?

I think an easy fix would be to put the word "fiction" in your tags.
This post got me thinking more about the "why" regarding the higher prices charged to US consumers. Interestingly, one of the sources I read (and I am NOT going to paste a link just to bug Joisey, as it would be nice if he got off his lazy ass and looked up some information himself) made the case that the lower Candian prices are a result of cost controls, which we know. But it also said that it is the Canadian cost controls that encourage this price gouging (gouging is my word) by the drug manufacturers selling in the US. Price discrimination (It is noted that these drug companies have far above average profit.) The article concludes that should the US implement it's own controls, such as mandating that the manufacturers must charge the same price for the same drugs, the cost of Canadian drugs will rise, and US prices will decrease...
That was so rambling. Point was those high profit drug companies only break even on their Canadian drug sells and have to make all their profit from U.S...
Thank you for this very important post. I think the reason a lot of Americans won't get upset and fight about this issue is because society as a whole has become complacent. We understand that it's okay for the big fish to eat the little fish. As someone who greatly supports a socialized healthcare system, and lives in a country that has one, I have also been shocked to hear so many American friends and relatives tell me they don't want socialized healthcare, since they'd be paying for other people's treatment. It's the American individualist mentality and no matter how much it would benefit them (most of my friends and family aren't rich, after all), it's going to take a long time for them to get over it, if ever.

Thank you again for posting this - amazing research, so well-presented. Right on.
islandtime.. what you said makes pure sense. if you read my mother in laws comment which I posted from my other site.. lobbying and ads also increase the price.
Like I said Snooki I am tired of jousting with words with the mentally handicapped. I just gave you the 3 main criteria the World Health Organization uses to monitor health for a given country. Obviously you don’t understand the link between good health and socialized medicine and yes that means free pharmaceuticals. Its animals like you that make this country a living hell for the old and the poor. You are a disease that has afflicted this once great land and there's only one cure for that disease! And by the way I know its nothing but a stinking swamp but please learn to spell Jersey correctly.
Alysa- I have had other american friends tell me the same exact thing and it really annoys me.. Work together people. You can see the difference it makes in France as I can in Canada. My mother was in the hospital off and on from 1951- 1963 until she died and because they had no idea what she had it cost my father a fortune as Canada did not have free health care then... and if my Grandfather did not have money to bail him out my father would have been a statistic like those who have to file from bankruptcy here from medical bills.
Great article! We should be so outraged, between this and all the other things in this country regarding healthcare, it is unbelievable. Terrible! What little progress we have made with healthcare changes by Obama, the crazy corporate cartels in this nation want to undo as well. When do we catch a break?
Profits above everything else- that's the Amerikkkan way- isn't it? They're sacred- the lives of ordinary people- not so much.
After all- if you're not rich, or have an unexpected health emergency- its because god doesn't love you so you're poor.
It's fucking insane that Amerikkka is the only so called civilized, developed country where medical bankruptcy is both possible and common.
Thank you for writing this, Linda. Awful truth, but necessary to hear. xo
jack- thank you
Sheila.. not in my lifetime
Ian.. its a travesty
Erica.. too bad some politician wont take it up
Gawd I love the hypocrisy here in OS.

"Don't believe mass media about (this or that)!"
"Question authority when it comes to (this or that)!"
"The government is lying to us about (this or that)!"

Yet when a blogger makes a statement, the OS sheep line falls into place and accepts it without question. And applauds the blogger for his/her efforts in "outing" an issue.

Wow, just wow.
@JackassHeart

Congrats on knowing how to spell Jersey. That and a comment in a blog on OS will get you a pat on the back.

It's obvious from the frustration on your words that life ain't treatin' you so well.

Interesting comment: "I fight and I fight really well: guns, knives, or fists ... I don’t want to write anymore. I wanna settle this in the age old American tradition. Let the the last man standing write the rules for a ‘Brave New World.’"

Nice, you weenie. I'll definitely follow your words to the wise.
Hi Linda,
I see this post attracted the obligatory numbNUts comments too. They make my morning on a 'sadNess scale' - English/English meaning,well London Urban actually - of minus one to + 3 .

North American meds are now more or less safe than the British and European equiv. Care has to be taken on what is spat and what is swallowed, even with a prescription.

Just don't use the fake viagra from India - often red&black. The headaches the next day are worse than the 12 hour stiffy which makes driving impossible. Girls wot go_Clubbing swallow them with vodka chasers. Ooooow, run and run fast. Even an OS troll won't make you laRf after that..........

"Press send please FRed(tm) and re-erect the screen please."
Creekend.. thanks for your words of warning... Wouldn't want anymore shriveled up willys..:) or headaches.
I had missed this post, Linda. As with health care, I think that life-essential drugs should be covered and dispensed. BTW, great song choice — it’s a number I’ve always found amusing.
Various.. thank goodness there are some countries that understand
I knew a guy who worked for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals as a quality control manager. The main factory he was responsible for was in Puerto Rico. The drugs produced in Puerto Rico were considered by Wyeth to be made in the USA.
gnomes don't take prescriptions. they get snockered and sleep illness away.
r anyhow
I have never been mugged for drugs but I was mugged for a rug once. You see it was made from silk and gold threads .
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I ran into price gouging when I lived in the US and had Blue Cross. the copay on ProAir Inhaler was 50. $190 without insurance. Its $5 in Iceland, $6.50 in the UK, and 18 in Canada. Regardless of insurance.
Same medicine, same manufacturer. Its ridiculous