Prescription imports seized at border

Customs agents appear to have stepped up seizures of shipments from Canadian Internet pharmacies since the launch of Medicare Part D, according to the Los Angeles Times. Most of the Canadian suppliers the newspaper contacted say the number of confiscations has risen sharply over the past month. "It's huge--we've had over 800 seizures in January, up from 15 in a typical month," one importer told the paper. Shipping prescription drugs into the country without FDA approval has always been illegal, but customs officials have historically turned a blind eye. Some media reports have suggested that problems with the Part D rollout have led seniors to turn to Canadian pharmacies as an alternative source of inexpensive medicines.

- see this article from the LA Times

PLUS: President Bush talked publicly about the new drug benefit for the first time in weeks, defending the program in his Sunday radio address. ''When you make a big change in a program involving millions of people, there are bound to be some challenges," Bush said. "And this has been the case with the new drug coverage." Article

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