One of the many dangers that the FBI and CIA have to realize exists is the 'online' diagnosis and prescription that follows. That is a very unsafe practice and should be shut down as a means of commerce in the USA.
What I found most attractive about this approach in North Carolina was the concept of 'State Lot Purchases.' To make it simply, States into a regional 'compact' that provides large lot purchases of medications for all their medical and pharmaceutical facilities. This provides methods of carefully obtaining the lowest priced medications of the highest quality in and out of the USA while insuring their "Homeland" always has a good supply of necessary and frequently purchased medications.
With the new health care reform legislation that will include a Public Option, the degree consumers have to lower their health care costs are significant and their safety enhanced by being able to afford health insurance and deductibles so they won't turn to such extreme measures as online doctors and drugs. I am very disappointed to realize it might even be my neighbors that are not receiving the quality of care they need due to extreme costs both on the prescribing side and prescription side. Like, WOW, where has everyone been?
I do not see this as a huge problem that cannot be contained. I see massive interest by the global community through efforts at the WTO and through State Department initiatives that will increase cooperation and enforcement of high quality standards for all Americans. I strongly advocate to have such dangerous practices be shut down as we enter the era of 'Health Care Safety, Education and Advocacy' for all our citizens.
There are some good ideas here and a sense of responsibility by States to take good care of their citizens.
Electronic Monitoring and Internet Prescribing (click here) -- This is a relatively recent trend which gained momentum during the past three years. Proposed laws would allow for the development and regulation of electronic transmission of prescription drug orders, as well as establishing Internet prescribing practices to provide increased protection for consumers purchasing prescription drugs over the Internet. Additionally, several more states seek to establish electronic prescription drug databases to monitor the misuse, abuse and diversion of prescription drugs and controlled substances. In August Alaska became the final state to change laws and regulations to allow for e-prescribing.
Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez didn't join their collegues Byron Dorgan and John McCain in stopping the illegal medication trade in the USA.
Legislating is not going to solve this problem.
There are several adaptation the States are looking at and I'll put an entry above this picture that provides some excellant alternatives to doing nothing when it comes to saving American $100 billion US in medication expense.
But, the best way to approach this is to shut down the illegal traffickers of counterfeit drugs. That is best done through channels at the FBI and CIA and the overburdened State Department.
All this protectionism by the two New Jersey Senators that receive support from their pharmaceutical industry giants have caused a problem in the USA. Rather than garnering the resources to defeat the illegal importation of medications that are dangerous to consumers, they have done nothing but stated all medications sold in the USA have to meet FDA standards. Well, that is fine to say, but, IN PRACTICE that is not what is happening.
We know for a fact there are illegally produced medications globally that reach the American consumer. They are sold on websites that should not be accessible by the American consumer. To begin, and only to begin, the federal law enforcement agencies that have PROOF of the sale of dangerous medications should have the authority to shut down these websites. I don't understand why any dangerous website is allowed to exist on any internet access in this country, whether it be al Qaeda or extremist Islamic ministers to those peddling dangerous medications. It simply should be good sound legal policy to shut them down.
Now, as to those that do not violate FDA standards, let them exist. However, a conserted effort should be made by our federal law enforcement agencies to identify these benevolent sites and then have the State Department work with these importers to win FDA approval.
This problem is not this huge. Consumers need to be educated to their reality when they seek less expensive alternatives to drug store pharmacies.
To address the need of keeping drug store pharmacies working and bringing in customers, there should be a consolidation of their authority that surrounds this issue. Where they can obtain less expensive medications either domestically or abroad they should have the ability to apply to the FDA for approval of their sources.
I simply cannot imagine Walgreens or CVS or an Association of Independant Pharmacists importing medications that are harmful to their customers. They simply would not do that. It would end their good reputations and cost them their business. What these entities should do is actively seek out less expensive sources of their medications and solitcit approval for them from the FDA on a "Fast Track Basis." In addition, to provide complete transparency these distributors should clearly label "FDA Approved Imported Medication." It would give the control to the consumer to accept these medications or pay an additional price for domestic medications.
This would be especially helful to folks without medication insurance coverage.
Somewhere in this debate, too, is Homeland Security. There are many venues of compromised Americans by simply writing a bill that looks good on paper, but, is completely ineffective in practice. Americans will find alternatives to their needs if they are forced to and the years of neglect of good Health Care Legislation and Commercial Sales of Medication from Import Sources have led to a dangerous set of circumstances.
Senator Hagin of North Carolina pointed to a woman that had the resources to purchase medications domestically, even knew something about quality medications and still opted to purchase from outside the USA that eventually cost her her very life. That girls and boys is poor legislative protections. The answer here is to indentify the need for 'discovery, verification and enforcement' met with a reactive State Department that works with other countries to solve this issue.
How can the State Department help? Simple. Previous to the draconian cuts in diplomacy by the Bush/Cheney Executive Branch, the USA had diplomatic priorities that included excluding child labor and including environmental protections from all the countries we did business with, including those in the WTO. Yes, the World Trade Organization should be taking an active roll in this mess.
But, at any rate, the State Department needs to add to its 'check list' the imporation by USA consumers of medications produced outside its borders. Where there are better opportunities for consumers in receiving high quality medications from outside the USA which results in savings of $100 billion that cannot be overlooked and should become a priority of the USA State Department and its relationship in the WTO.
The WTO should work actively with its counterparts in the USA to develop standards that reflect not only accessibility but the demands placed on the quality of the medications by the FDA. By incorporating these measures in a global market place, the USA FDA will be placing higher standards among all nations that will result in healthier people everywhere.
Not only that, but, I cannot believe there are also terrorist network dollars being made from such corrupt counterfeit medication production. By standardizing a global market place where all countries engaged in medication manufacturer uphold the same high standards, and I have a feeling some countries might have higher standards than the USA FDA, countries can harness the capacity to monitor, facilitate not just good medications for market but far, far better relations internationally.
I do not believe there is a country on Earth that does not want good quality goods to be in the market place, but, may not have the ability to understand what high quality goods are or how to best manufacturer them.
I sincerely see this as a global security infrastructure issue that will enhance market function and add to the quality of lives of citizens in all participating countries.
See above the picture of the crony politicians to read about alternatives that provide even more options.
