Letter to the editor of the Washington Post
posted Wed, 31 Aug 2011The PROTECT IP Act threatens American access to safe and affordable prescription drugs from trusted Canadian and other international pharmacies. For this reason, RxRights has been speaking out against this bill over the past months. We've also asked our supporters to contact President Obama and Congress to voice their support for continued access to prescription drugs from legitimate online international pharmacies.
The Washington Post ran an editorial about the PROTECT IP Act last week that we at RxRights felt compelled to respond to. Lee Graczyk crafted a letter to the editor in response that has not yet been published, but that we wanted to share here with our readers.
Dear Editor:
In its Aug. 24 editorial [“Safeguarding creativity”], the Post highlighted a major flaw in the PROTECT IP Act in stating that the bill’s provisions are “more sweeping than necessary”.
Simply put, the current definition of what constitutes a “rogue” website is too broad. The Senate version of the PROTECT IP Act does not distinguish between true rogue online pharmacies that sell controlled and uncontrolled substances without a prescription and the licensed, legitimate pharmacies, which always require a valid doctor’s prescription. As a result, if this bill is enacted, Americans could lose access to safe, affordable prescription medications from legitimate Canadian and other international pharmacies.
Many Americans, especially seniors on fixed incomes, cannot afford the exorbitant cost of prescription drugs in the U.S., which can cost as much as 50 to 80 percent more for the very same brand-name medication that can be purchased in Canada or elsewhere.
I represent RxRights, a national coalition dedicated to raising awareness and spurring action around safe prescription drug importation. Our group encourages Congress and the White House to clearly define and pursue the rogues, while preserving access to safe and affordable prescription drugs from legitimate, licensed international pharmacies.
Lee Graczyk
RxRights