Prescription drug seller supports new bill
Monroe man: proposed reimportation law
would lower prices
BY TARA PETERSEN
Staff Writer

TARA PETERSEN Ed Goldman, 77, said he has been helping area seniors obtain their prescriptions through Canada, for a cheaper price, since about June.

MONROE — Ed Goldman supports a proposed drug reimportation bill, even though it may ultimately put him out of business.

Goldman, 77, said he began importing prescription drugs from Canada "as a service" for others after he was told he needed to go on Plavix, which keeps his arteries open and clear of cholesterol and fats.

"I called up various drug stores and I couldn’t believe the cost," he said.

A friend recommended he try to obtain Plavix from Canada, where he found he could save close to $100 for a three-month supply, Goldman said.

He soon discovered even greater discrepancies between the United States, Canada and Europe for the exact same medicines.

Even though many medications are manufactured by American pharmaceutical companies, it is still cheaper to get the drugs from Canada after Canada imports them from the United States, Goldman said.

According to the New York Times, 90 tablets of 100 milligrams of Toprol-XL that is sold in the United States for about $108 can be obtained through a Canadian online pharmacy for about $35 to $40.

"All my clients get a disclaimer saying I am not a pharmacist or giving advice," he said.

Goldman, a Greenbriar at Whittingham resident, has been helping many seniors in the Monroe area obtain their prescription drugs through Canada since about June, he said.

Goldman said he sells the exact same brand-name drugs such as Lipitor, Zocor, Celebrex and Fosamax for a 20 percent to 80 percent savings over American drug store prices.

Part of the reason is that the Canadian government regulates pricing for the drugs, he said.

The U.S. Senate is currently considering a bill, already passed by the House of Representatives, that would make it legal for Americans to import prescription drugs from Canada and Europe, where prices are significantly lower.

Goldman said he strongly supports the bill because he feels Americans are getting gouged by the drug companies.

Although his business may initially benefit, the bill may ultimately correct the vast discrepancies, which would likely destroy the reimportation business.

"I’m not in this to make money. I haven’t even seen a profit yet," Goldman said. "I want to see the American prices come down."

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Gil Gutknecht of Minnesota, has said that the bill would cause prices to level out so that Americans aren’t paying so much more than other consumers.

"[Gutknecht] doesn’t want American consumers to have to get their prescription drugs from Canada, he wants to open up the market so the price levels out," Bryan Anderson, spokesperson for Gutknecht’s office, said Tuesday.

Anderson cited an example using the breast cancer drug, Tamoxifen. He said it would cost someone in the United States $360 for a 30-day supply, and someone in Germany $60 for the same amount.

Critics of the bill say that rather than prices going down in the United States, they will rise elsewhere.

"The result of open importation from Canada will not be a flooding of inexpensive drugs into the United States, but the restriction of drugs to the reimportation hot spots [such as Canada,]" Sally Pipes, of California-based Contra Costa Times, said in her commentary last month.

According to The Associated Press, four of the largest drug companies — GlaxoSmithKline, Astra Zeneca, Wyeth, and Pfizer — have begun limiting supplies into Canada to discourage re-importation.

"It just goes to underscore how far they will go to protect their profits," Anderson said. "[Gutknecht] doesn’t have a problem with profit, but does have a problem with profiteers."

He added that the drug companies cannot afford to close off supplies to Europe as well, because of the size of the market there. The reimportation bill would ultimately result in level prices rather than limited supplies, he said.

Critics have expressed concern over a possible reduction in profits and money available for research if the bill passes.

Anderson said Gutknecht does not feel the pharmaceutical industry will do less research.

"Pharmaceutical companies have to conduct research. Taxpayers are paying the lion’s share of the research money," Anderson said. "[The bill] might make a difference in a $200 million dollar and a $20 million dollar bonus for a pharmaceutical company CEO.

"We’re a blessed country," Anderson added. "We should help our friends in sub-Saharan Africa, but we shouldn’t have to subsidize the ‘starving Swiss.’ "

Many have expressed their concern to Goldman over the safety of importing drugs from other countries, since the FDA has no control over them.

Goldman said he feels the drugs from Canada are just as safe as those obtained from drug stores in the United States.

"My customers must give me a bona fide licensed American doctor’s prescription," he said. "I send them forms to fill out for drug dosage, payment details and questions on their medical history."

Goldman said the forms are faxed to a Canadian pharmacy who gets the prescription rewritten by a Canadian doctor before anything is approved.

"The drug is sent directly to the client," he said.