Americans struggle with the highest drug prices in the world. At the behest of Big Pharma front groups, Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the Drug Act, a law that deprives millions of Americans of vital daily medicines. So many of them think so.
Big Pharma special interest groups that support the Drug Act claim the bill would tackle the illegal sale of opioids online; however, the bill doesn't even mention the words opioids or fentanyl. Instead, the bill targets 'non-household' international pharmacies where millions Americans depend on 'safe' and affordable medicines.
By law, affordable medicines from online pharmacies in Canada, for example, are no longer accessible to Americans. Major pharmaceutical groups backing the DRUGS bill are blatantly taking advantage of the opioid crisis to attack prescription imports, say patients.
The special interests that endorse this legislation include Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP), Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM), and National Association of the Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). These organizations are funded by the largest pharmaceutical companies – AstraZeneca, Merck, Pfizer and others, even the opioid OxyContin producer Purdue.
Protecting consumers from unsafe drugs
The Drugs Act aims to protect U.S. consumers from dangerous, fake, and illegal drug sales online. “We know that consumers want the convenience and cost savings of purchasing online. However, the vast majority of websites selling drugs are illegal, disguised as Canadian pharmacy, said Libby Baney, Partner at Faegre Drinker LLP and senior advisor to ASOP Global. This puts an end to the sale of counterfeit, unbranded, unapproved and even deadly drugs and medicines online.
Nearly half of Americans mistakenly believe that the FDA or state regulators have approved all websites that offer online health care. The DRUGS Act gives FDA, state regulators and other trusted notifiers powerful new tools to protect Americans from illegal online drug sellers.
The introduction of the Drugs Act marks an important milestone towards a safer internet for patients.
