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>Canadian drug firms to get surprise checkups >Warren Wolfe, Star Tribune > >Published March 4, 2004 >Last updated: March 4, 2004 at 9:40 PM DRUG05 > > > >Minnesota will conduct unannounced inspections of two >Canadian mail-order pharmacies that supply low-price >drugs to the state's residents. > >"We're not worried about them, and they had agreed >from the start that unannounced inspections would be >part of the deal," said Human Services Commissioner >Kevin Goodno. > >Minnesota began the nation's first state-sponsored >Internet connection with Canadian pharmacies five >weeks ago -- despite federal and drug industry >opposition. > >The inspections of Total Care Pharmacy of Calgary, >Alberta, and Granville Pharmacy of Vancouver, B.C., >will not occur immediately because details still must >be worked out by the department and the Minnesota >Board of Pharmacy, which sent two inspectors to help >evaluate the two pharmacies last December. > >The state has defied warnings and blandishments from >the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other >Bush administration officials that its Web site >endangers residents by exposing them to imported drugs >that could be tainted or counterfeit. > >"We're aware that some of the Internet pharmacies may >not be what they claim to be," Goodno said. "So to >help protect Minnesotans, we sent our people up to >take a look at several before we selected two to put >on our Web site." The site is >www.minnesotarxconnect.com. > >However, state officials were chagrined when the FDA >used a memo from the Minnesota inspectors as fodder to >warn the Canadian government about alleged safety >problems there. The memo described shortcomings of >some of the firms. > >"Most of those problems were pretty minor," Goodno >said. "We think the FDA was stretching the truth a >bit." > >Wisconsin opened a similar Web site a week ago. So >far, the Minnesota site has had more than 50,000 >visits, yet the number of people buying drugs so far >"appears to be small, maybe 100 or so," Goodno said. > >Pfizer campaign > >Meanwhile, one of two Canadian wholesalers that was >cut off last week by giant drug manufacturer Pfizer >admitted Thursday that it mistakenly supplied drugs to >two of the Internet pharmacies on Pfizer's list of >forbidden customers. Neither pharmacy was listed on >the Minnesota Web site. > >"We didn't realize it until we got the fax from Pfizer >cutting us off," said Laurie Gauthier, general manager >of Prairie Supply Co-op, which is owned by about 300 >Canadian pharmacies. "Indeed, of Pfizer's list of 160 >prohibited companies, we supply products to 49, and we >had mistakenly been selling Pfizer products to two of >the 49." He said a letter asking to be reinstated >would be sent to Pfizer today. > >Pfizer's action -- an escalation of a yearlong >campaign by drug manufacturers against the mail-order >companies --prompted the Minnesota State Board of >Investment to demand that the company stop charging >Americans more than foreign customers. > >Last year, five manufacturers stopped selling >prescription drugs to the Canadian mail-order firms >supplying U.S. customers. The firms say they've been >able to obtain drugs from wholesalers and other >pharmacies. > >Also Thursday, the Minnesota Senior Federation said >its board will probably vote next week to lead a >nationwide "Pfix Pfizer" campaign that may include >picketing, a boycott of some Pfizer non-prescription >products and support of a stockholder resolution >critical of the company's recent price increases. > >The federation has already asked the governor's office >to consider the resolution, which will be offered by >the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility at >the Pfizer stockholder meeting April 22 in St. Louis. > >"We'd like the Board of Investment to vote its 12.9 >million shares of Pfizer stock for this resolution," >said Peter Wyckoff, executive director of the >federation's metro division. "It's fairly modest. It >merely asks the company to report why the prices of >some of its best-selling drugs went up so much faster >than inflation."

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