Medicine for seizures, criticized

A U.S. Customs policy to step up seizures of prescription drugs from Canada is raising protests in Congress and allegations from Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., that it might be a ploy by the Bush administration to force Americans into the new Medicare prescription-drug plan.Federal agents have begun releasing the seized drugs to elderly customers such as Melbourne resident Dorothy Donnelly, 74.

But the disabled widow, who orders about half of her nine prescriptions from Canada because they are cheaper, said she's worried the drug seizures will happen again."I can't afford to pay all that medicine," she said. "I think they want us to get this Medicare D, which no one can understand."Medicare Part D is a voluntary insurance program under which most seniors pay part of the cost for their prescription drugs.

Enrollment for the program began in November, just as Customs officials began seizing more of the drugs seniors are importing from Canada.Customs spokeswoman Lynn Hollinger said there's no connection between the two. The drugs are being seized because they are illegal and could be dangerous to seniors, she said. U.S. law forbids patients from ordering drugs from outside the country because there's no guarantee that foreign pharmaceuticals have gone through the same safety reviews as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, about 5 percent of seniors order drugs from Canada or Mexico. In Florida the figure is 10 percent, according to the nonpartisan group. Seniors and many members of Congress are pushing to allow importation from Canada because prices are lower.Nelson has called for an investigation by officials at the Department of Homeland Security, which includes Customs, into whether the crackdown was linked to the administration's drive to sign up seniors for the new Medicare plan.

Nelson's staff said he had received 140 calls from seniors complaining in the past week or so.Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Crystal River, also has received complaints. Like Nelson, she favors allowing Canadian imports. Brown-Waite has complained to the administration that it should notify seniors that the practice of ordering from Canada is illegal before seizing the medicines they need.Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., said he didn't see any political motivation for stepping up the seizures but would like to see the Canadian imports legalized.

"I support people's rights to get their drugs as cheap as they can get them including from re-importation, if safety can be assured," Martinez said.