| Sanctioning cross-border pharmacy---the dispensing of prescription drugs by Canadian pharmacies to U.S. patients---is a legitimate option for U.S. and Canadian policymakers. Safety concerns have been exaggerated. Patient interests are better served by a regime of regulated imports than by prohibition. Similarly, opposition by Canadian provincial Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons and Colleges of Pharmacists to member participation in cross-border pharmacy is unjustified. Economic considerations do not compel prohibition of cross-border pharmacy but rather raise political questions of priority and values. Canadian interests in preserving domestic supplies can be protected through legal, political, and practical measures. Canada is better situated to resist price increases firms might seek in response to cross-border pharmacy than has been acknowledged. |
