Congress agrees to 90-day drug supply from Canada
House and Senate Republicans reached an agreement that would allow Americans to legally bring a 90-day supply of prescription medications back across the border from Canada.
Shopping for drugs in Canada has become popular with U.S. consumers. The cost of many popular brand-name prescription drugs can be 30 percent to 80 percent lower in Canada than in the United States because of government price controls, surveys have shown.
The agreement, reached Thursday as part of a Homeland Security spending bill that is moving through Congress, would prohibit U.S. Customs agents from seizing up to 90-day supplies of prescribed medicines being brought into the United States from Canada.
More : suntimes.com
Related Travel Information
PanAfrica: Canada Behind On Aids Drug Promise
Canada is yet to act on legislation passed two years ago to enable the supply of affordable anti-AIDS drugs to Africa, the international medical NGO, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), said on Thursday.
The law, which drew worldwide praise at the time, could be used to put pressure on Canadian pharmaceutical companies to offer patented drug formulations to generic producers if poor countries requested them.
However, Rachel Kiddell-Monroe, director of MSFs Access to Essential Medicines campaign in Canada, told the local Toronto Star newspaper that not a single drug has gone out of Canada under this legislation.
Kiddell-Monroe
Phelps Dodge Agrees to Cancel Acquisition of Canadas Inco
Phelps Dodge Corp., the worlds third- biggest copper producer, agreed to cancel its buyout of Canadas Inco. Ltd.
Inco paid $125 million as part of a termination agreement and agreed to pay an additional $350 million should another deal be concluded by Sept. 7, Phoenix-based Phelps Dodge said today in a statement distributed by PR Newswire.
Source : bloomberg.com
Fate uncertain for Canadas legal drug-shooting site
Supporters of North Americas only sanctioned injection site for drug addicts say the facility is saving lives and curbing disease but they fear that will not be enough to keep Canadas government from closing it.
Vancouvers Insite facility gained international publicity when it opened in 2003 as a research experiment and health officials are anxiously waiting to hear if the Canadian government will extend its exemption from drug laws and allow it to remain open after September 12.
Insites supporters say studies show the facility has prevented overdose deaths and helped get addicts into
Biovail launches diabetes drug in Canada
TORONTO (Reuters) - Biovail Corp. said on Tuesday it had launched Glumetza to treat Type 2 diabetes in Canada.
Biovail said Glumetza, developed in partnership with U.S.-based Depomed, is the first once-daily extended-release formulation of metformin in Canada. Metformin is the leading treatment for Type 2 diabetes.
Biovail shares rose 32 Canadian cents to C$27.41 on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Tuesday afternoon. In New York, they were up 47 cents, or 2 percent, at $23.45. Depomed's shares shot up 70 cents, or 13.26 percent, to $5.98 on Nasdaq.
The announcement comes less than a week after Biovail
U.S. Congress votes unanimously to thank Canada for extending Afghan mission
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a resolution commending Canada for its commitment to Afghanistan.
Indiana Republican Dan Burton introduced the resolution saying he wanted U.S. legislators to recognize Canadas vote last month to extend the Afghan mission by two years into 2009.
The resolution passed by a vote of 409 to 0.
Burton says Canadas decision signals its commitment to the global war on terror and its friendship with the United States.
More: canada.com
