Eli Lilly Moves To Limit Prescription Drug Sales To Canada To Combat Reimportation
Eli Lilly has limited prescription drug sales to Canadian pharmacies as part of an effort by U.S. pharmaceutical companies to prevent reimportation of their products from Canada, the AP/Newark Star-Ledger reports (AP/Newark Star-Ledger, 10/20). GlaxoSmithKline in January, AstraZeneca in April, Wyeth in June and Pfizer in August took similar actions (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 10/1). In a letter to 24 Canadian prescription drug wholesalers, Lilly officials said that company will limit product sales to an amount "sufficient to supply the Canadian market only," the AP/Star-Ledger reports. Lilly spokesperson Rob Smith said, "We think it's an appropriate step to take to protect the integrity of our products and the safety of out patients here in the Unites States and Canada." Members of a Lilly task force formed in 2001 to examine the issue of prescription drug reimportation said that they found a "steady increase" in counterfeit and improperly stored Lilly products sold to U.S. consumers by Canadian pharmacies, Smith said. He added that Lilly contracts with Canadian prescription drug wholesalers do not allow the sale of company products to U.S. consumers (AP/Newark Star-Ledger, 10/20).
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