Canada to Limit Drug Exports?

Canadian Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh speaks to the media following a cabinet meeting at the Foreign Affairs building in Ottawa June 29, 2005. Dosanjh announced the federal government will draw up legislation giving it the right to ban the bulk sale of prescription drugs and other medicines to the United States when necessary to ensure sufficient supplies in Canada.

Canada to Ban Bulk Exports of Rx Drugs

Canada can’t continue to be a cheap “drug store for the United States” and intends to ban bulk export of prescription drugs when supplies are low at home, the health minister said Wednesday.

Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh said he must ensure Canadians continue to have access to an adequate supply of safe and affordable prescription drugs, and he would launch initiatives, including legislative and regulatory changes, to protect the supply and safety of Canadian drugs.

Dosanjh, in an ambiguous statement at a news conference in Ottawa, said he intended to introduce legislation when the House of Commons reconvenes this fall that would allow for the temporary ban of bulk exports when supplies are running low at home.

He also intends to establish a drug supply network within the federal ministry Health Canada and work with provinces and pharmaceutical companies to provide more comprehensive data on Canada’s prescription drug supply.

“We are in fact looking at a host of issues,” he said. “The legislation would definitely mean a ban on large-scale drug exports to the United States, particularly when there’s a shortage here.”

This is understandable.

Why should the Socialized healthcare system of Canada subsidize a free market in the USA?

Americans will bargain for better prices or have their government representatives guarantee better competition.