Posted by Ted on August 7, 2001, at 11:14:55
In reply to FDA cracking down on personal drug importation?, posted by Grouch on August 6, 2001, at 20:48:06
My parents vacation in Mexico every year from Oct - May. They buy all their medications in the Mexican pharmacies. The only drugs in Mexico which need a written prescription are narcotics and other addictive drugs, though benzodiazepines are excluded. The cost, however, is net (in pesos), so for those with any prescription insurance at all, it is usually not a good deal even with the wholesale discounts.
The FDA claims a "safety" issue -- that is a bunch of BOVINE FECAL MATTER! Most of the US drug manufacturers actually make their drugs in Mexico because of the reduced labor costs. These are the same drugs made by the same companies. (In fact, my cat and I both needed antibiotic eye ointment for [unrelated] eye infections. I was really peeved to see that we both had the IDENTICAL medication and my cat's was only about 20% the cost of mine.)
The comment about protecting the drug companies' $$$$ is the real and only answer.
BTW: My parents said that they were told by a US Customs agent at the border that they could bring any drug for which they had a US prescription AND they could only bring at most a 90 day supply. Not that anybody asks or checks at the border, mind you.... :-)
poster:Ted
thread:73865
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010804/msgs/73949.html