Montgomery County, MD, is suing the FDA in an effort to force the agency to allow the reimportation of prescription drugs. County Executive Douglas Duncan announced the decision yesterday, after the FDA denied the county's request that it be allowed to obtain less expensive prescription drugs from Canada. The legal challenge is likely to bring the reimportation debate into focus again. A report released yesterday by the General Accounting Office finds that US consumers import "substantial and increasing" quantities of prescription drugs from outside of the US using the Internet. The GAO report also finds few mechanisms are in place to safely control drug imports. The government report was commissioned by Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) and Rep. John Dingell (D-MI).
- see this article from The Washington Post