Thanks for calling out the FDA and others in this piece for their censorial view that all "suspect" sites should be immediately taken down.
I recently traveled to L.A. to personally deliver 24,349 consumer signatures to ICANN along with a message opposing the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy's bid to control the .pharmacy domain. Our concern is that the NABP (and more recently, the FDA) has a history of rejecting all international online pharmacies and labeling them as rogues.
Yes, rogue pharmacies are a problem that should be taken seriously. But this blanket approach of shutting down all suspect websites is problematic. Instead, why not educate consumers about how to choose a safe online pharmacy? There are ways to distinguish between rogue and legit pharmacies. Organizations out there such as CIPA and PharmacyChecker.com certify the safety of online pharmacies.
Legitimate international online pharmacies require prescriptions and they sell the same drugs available in the U.S.--only at cheaper prices. Five million Americans each year depend on these pharmacies to access the medicine they need at prices they can afford. If there's any doubt about that, visit the testimonials section on our website: http://www.rxrights.org/testimonials/
Macgillivray hits the nail on the head. It is ridiculous that a site (and all of its content and free speech rights) can be completely blocked if any portion of the site is deemed to be infringing. The overly broad language in SOPA is problematic on many levels and could result in a great deal of negative and unintended consequences.
One particular consequence that hasn't been discussed in the mainstream press is the fact that the bill will have grave health implications for hundreds of thousands of Americans who rely on importing safe, affordable prescription medications from licensed, legitimate Canadian and other international pharmacies. This is because SOPA inappropriately groups real pharmacies — licensed, legitimate pharmacies that require a doctor’s prescription and sell brand-name medications — with the rogues who sell everything from diluted or counterfeit medicine to narcotics without a prescription. As it's currently written, SOPA would shut down legitimate international pharmacy sites.
Americans can't afford the exorbitant costs of prescription drugs in the U.S. and, therefore, need continued access to the international pharmacies they depend on for the medications they need to survive.
RxRights is a national coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting and protecting American consumer access to sources of safe, affordable prescription drugs. The Coalition is asking Americans to take action now by sending letters to their representatives urging them to stop SOPA. For more information or to voice your concern, visit www.RxRights.org.
This article illustrates again that many groups from “both sides of the aisle” are expressing their opposition to this bill. RxRights is also concerned “about ambiguities in this legislation.” Specifically, PROTECT IP could cut off Americans’ online access to safe, affordable prescription drugs from legitimate international pharmacies.
There is a major flaw in the PROTECT IP Act’s definition of what constitutes a “rogue” website. In terms of online pharmacies, it fails to distinguish between the “good guys”--the licensed, legitimate pharmacies that require a doctor’s prescription--and the “bad guys” who sell everything from diluted or fake medicine to narcotics without a prescription.
RxRights is dedicated to promoting and protecting American consumer access to sources of safe, affordable prescription drugs. We are asking Americans to contact their legislators to urge them to oppose PROTECT IP due to its threat to our access to affordable medicine. Find out more at www.RxRights.org.
It goes against common sense that websites such as Costco and Sears would be on a “rogue sites” list. And these are not the only legitimate sites that could be affected by the PROTECT IP Act. This bill could shut down the sites of legitimate Canadian and other international pharmacies--taking away Americans’ online access to safe, affordable medications--because PROTECT IP fails to distinguish between the “good guys"--the licensed, legitimate pharmacies that require a doctor’s prescription--and the “bad guys” who sell everything from diluted or fake medicine to narcotics without a prescription.
RxRights is a national coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting and protecting American consumer access to sources of safe, affordable prescription drugs. The Coalition is asking Americans to take action now by sending letters to Congress and President Obama urging them to oppose the PROTECT IP Act. For more information or to voice your concern, visit www.RxRights.org.
Mike, we appreciate that you and the rest of this group of tech entrepreneurs are exercising common sense when it comes to opposing this bill. As you know, not only would it stifle innovation and kill jobs, but in its overarching definition of what constitutes a “rogue” site, it would take away Americans’ access to safe, affordable prescription medications from legitimate Canadian and other international pharmacies. This glaring flaw needs to be fixed before this legislation moves forward.
RxRights is a national coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting and protecting American consumer access to sources of safe, affordable prescription drugs. The Coalition is encouraging consumers to send letters to President Obama and Congress that state their opposition to the PROTECT IP Act and its threat to affordable medicine. For more information or to voice your concern, visit www.RxRights.org.
Unlike other industrialized countries, the U.S. doesn’t negotiate drug prices with or set profit margins for drug companies. As a result, American consumers pay excessive prices for our prescription drugs. We pay an average of twice as much, for example, as our neighbors in Canada for identical drugs.
Mike, thank you for highlighting a key point that we've been emphasizing for a while. Not all Canadian pharmacies "sell fake and fraudulent (and potentially dangerous) drugs." There are licensed, legitimate pharmacies that sell safe prescription medications at reasonable prices. In these tough economic times, over a million Americans rely on drug importation to afford their needed medications.
RxRights is a national coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting and protecting American consumer access to sources of safe, affordable prescription drugs. We have been encouraging Americans to send letters to Congress and President Obama urging them to protect our right to access safe, affordable medications. For more information or to voice your concern, visit www.RxRights.org.
PROTECT IP will not only “break fundamental parts of the internet,” it will also take away Americans’ access to safe, affordable prescription medications from legitimate Canadian and other international online pharmacies. This is because the bill’s current definition of what constitutes a “rogue” doesn’t distinguish between online pharmacies that do not require valid prescriptions and trusted, safe pharmacies that always require a valid doctor’s prescription to purchase medications.
RxRights is a national coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting and protecting American consumer access to sources of safe, affordable prescription drugs. The Coalition is encouraging consumers to take action now by sending letters to Capitol Hill and the White House to state their opposition to the PROTECT IP Act and support for access to affordable meds. For more information or to voice your concern, visit www.RxRights.org.
I agree that counterfeit drugs are a problem. But as this post suggests many “wrongly lump” counterfeit drugs with “parallel import situations.” The PROTECT IP Act's overarching language fails to distinguish between the “good guys”--the licensed, legitimate pharmacies that require a doctor’s prescription to order medicine--and the “bad guys”--the rogues who sell everything from diluted or fake medicine to narcotics.
If PROTECT IP is enacted, Americans could lose access to safe, affordable prescription drugs from Canadian and other international pharmacies. RxRights is a national coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting and protecting American consumer access to sources of safe, affordable prescription drugs. The Coalition is encouraging consumers to take action now by sending letters to Congress and President Obama urging them to oppose the PROTECT IP Act in order to protect access to affordable medicine. For more information or to voice your concern, visit www.RxRights.org.
There is another potential impact of PROTECT IP that isn't receiving the attention that it should. Because of this bill’s overarching language, trusted and legitimate online pharmacies could be blacklisted. The bill doesn't distinguish between the legitimate pharmacies that always require valid prescriptions and the rogue online pharmacies that don't.
Over a million Americans depend on safe, online international pharmacies to access their needed medications at affordable prices. PROTECT IP could cut off this virtual lifeline. For this reason, the RxRights Coalition is encouraging consumers to send letters to President Obama and Congress urging them to state their opposition to the PROTECT IP Act. For more information or to voice your concern, visit www.RxRights.org.
Politicians should be concerned about the unintended consequences of PROTECT IP. And they should heed the many voices of opposition to the bill voiced by tech groups, the group of law professors, venture capitalists and other various coalitions across the country.
PROTECT IP's language fails to distinguish between rogue online pharmacies that do not require valid prescriptions and trusted, safe pharmacies that always do. If enacted, this bill would take away Americans' access to safe, affordable prescription medications online--even from trusted, legitimate Canadian and other international pharmacies.
RxRights is a national coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting and protecting American consumer access to sources of safe, affordable prescription drugs. Like the EFF and DemandProgress, we are encouraging people to speak out against PROTECT IP. For more information or to voice your concern, visit www.RxRights.org.
This is incredibly ironic. Congress needs to start taking notice of the immense opposition to the PROTECT IP Act that has been voiced by lawyers, venture capitalists and various coalitions across the country. One of the major flaws in this bill is that its overarching language fails to distinguish between rogue online pharmacies that do not require valid prescriptions and trusted, safe pharmacies that always do. This bill would take away Americans’ access to safe, affordable prescription medications online--even from trusted, legitimate Canadian and other international pharmacies.
RxRights is a national coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting and protecting American consumer access to sources of safe, affordable prescription drugs. We're encouraging consumers to send letters to the President and Congress urging them to protect our right to safe and affordable medicine by opposing the PROTECT IP Act. For more information or to voice your concern, visit www.RxRights.org.
Glad to see that Google is taking a stand on this. This new act is a serious threat to public health. It moves far beyond COICA’s potential blacklist of pharmacy websites. It would categorize all non-U.S. based online pharmacies as a risk to public health despite the fact that countless Americans are only able to afford their needed medications because of the savings available through safe, legitimate Canadian and other international pharmacies. Find out how you can take action to protect access to safe and affordable prescription drugs at www.RxRights.org.
Techdirt has not posted any stories submitted by rxrightsadvocate.
(untitled comment)
I recently traveled to L.A. to personally deliver 24,349 consumer signatures to ICANN along with a message opposing the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy's bid to control the .pharmacy domain. Our concern is that the NABP (and more recently, the FDA) has a history of rejecting all international online pharmacies and labeling them as rogues.
Yes, rogue pharmacies are a problem that should be taken seriously. But this blanket approach of shutting down all suspect websites is problematic. Instead, why not educate consumers about how to choose a safe online pharmacy? There are ways to distinguish between rogue and legit pharmacies. Organizations out there such as CIPA and PharmacyChecker.com certify the safety of online pharmacies.
Legitimate international online pharmacies require prescriptions and they sell the same drugs available in the U.S.--only at cheaper prices. Five million Americans each year depend on these pharmacies to access the medicine they need at prices they can afford. If there's any doubt about that, visit the testimonials section on our website: http://www.rxrights.org/testimonials/
Lee Graczyk, RxRights lead organizer
SOPA presents a risk to public health too
One particular consequence that hasn't been discussed in the mainstream press is the fact that the bill will have grave health implications for hundreds of thousands of Americans who rely on importing safe, affordable prescription medications from licensed, legitimate Canadian and other international pharmacies. This is because SOPA inappropriately groups real pharmacies — licensed, legitimate pharmacies that require a doctor’s prescription and sell brand-name medications — with the rogues who sell everything from diluted or counterfeit medicine to narcotics without a prescription. As it's currently written, SOPA would shut down legitimate international pharmacy sites.
Americans can't afford the exorbitant costs of prescription drugs in the U.S. and, therefore, need continued access to the international pharmacies they depend on for the medications they need to survive.
RxRights is a national coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting and protecting American consumer access to sources of safe, affordable prescription drugs. The Coalition is asking Americans to take action now by sending letters to their representatives urging them to stop SOPA. For more information or to voice your concern, visit www.RxRights.org.
PROTECT IP flaw jeopardizes affordable meds
There is a major flaw in the PROTECT IP Act’s definition of what constitutes a “rogue” website. In terms of online pharmacies, it fails to distinguish between the “good guys”--the licensed, legitimate pharmacies that require a doctor’s prescription--and the “bad guys” who sell everything from diluted or fake medicine to narcotics without a prescription.
RxRights is dedicated to promoting and protecting American consumer access to sources of safe, affordable prescription drugs. We are asking Americans to contact their legislators to urge them to oppose PROTECT IP due to its threat to our access to affordable medicine. Find out more at www.RxRights.org.
PROTECT IP defies common sense
RxRights is a national coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting and protecting American consumer access to sources of safe, affordable prescription drugs. The Coalition is asking Americans to take action now by sending letters to Congress and President Obama urging them to oppose the PROTECT IP Act. For more information or to voice your concern, visit www.RxRights.org.
PROTECT IP will also take away access to affordable meds
RxRights is a national coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting and protecting American consumer access to sources of safe, affordable prescription drugs. The Coalition is encouraging consumers to send letters to President Obama and Congress that state their opposition to the PROTECT IP Act and its threat to affordable medicine. For more information or to voice your concern, visit www.RxRights.org.
Re: Why are they cheaper in Canada
Americans rely on safe, affordable drug importation
RxRights is a national coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting and protecting American consumer access to sources of safe, affordable prescription drugs. We have been encouraging Americans to send letters to Congress and President Obama urging them to protect our right to access safe, affordable medications. For more information or to voice your concern, visit www.RxRights.org.
Lee Graczyk, RxRights
PROTECT IP will cut off access to affordable meds
RxRights is a national coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting and protecting American consumer access to sources of safe, affordable prescription drugs. The Coalition is encouraging consumers to take action now by sending letters to Capitol Hill and the White House to state their opposition to the PROTECT IP Act and support for access to affordable meds. For more information or to voice your concern, visit www.RxRights.org.
Thjere
If PROTECT IP is enacted, Americans could lose access to safe, affordable prescription drugs from Canadian and other international pharmacies. RxRights is a national coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting and protecting American consumer access to sources of safe, affordable prescription drugs. The Coalition is encouraging consumers to take action now by sending letters to Congress and President Obama urging them to oppose the PROTECT IP Act in order to protect access to affordable medicine. For more information or to voice your concern, visit www.RxRights.org.
PROTECT IP will cut off access to affordable meds
Over a million Americans depend on safe, online international pharmacies to access their needed medications at affordable prices. PROTECT IP could cut off this virtual lifeline. For this reason, the RxRights Coalition is encouraging consumers to send letters to President Obama and Congress urging them to state their opposition to the PROTECT IP Act. For more information or to voice your concern, visit www.RxRights.org.
Lee Graczyk
Bill threatens access to affordable meds
PROTECT IP's language fails to distinguish between rogue online pharmacies that do not require valid prescriptions and trusted, safe pharmacies that always do. If enacted, this bill would take away Americans' access to safe, affordable prescription medications online--even from trusted, legitimate Canadian and other international pharmacies.
RxRights is a national coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting and protecting American consumer access to sources of safe, affordable prescription drugs. Like the EFF and DemandProgress, we are encouraging people to speak out against PROTECT IP. For more information or to voice your concern, visit www.RxRights.org.
bitter irony
RxRights is a national coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting and protecting American consumer access to sources of safe, affordable prescription drugs. We're encouraging consumers to send letters to the President and Congress urging them to protect our right to safe and affordable medicine by opposing the PROTECT IP Act. For more information or to voice your concern, visit www.RxRights.org.
PROTECT IP could harm public health
Techdirt has not posted any stories submitted by rxrightsadvocate.
Submit a story now.
Tools & Services
TwitterFacebook
RSS
Podcast
Research & Reports
Company
About UsAdvertising Policies
Privacy
Contact
Help & FeedbackMedia Kit
Sponsor/Advertise
Submit a Story
More
Copia InstituteInsider Shop
Support Techdirt