Cross-border drug-trafficking.(may effect trade relations between United States and Canada)(Brief article)

A report issued in February by the Vancouver-based Fraser Institute entitled "Price Controls, Patents, And Cross-Border Internet Pharmacies: Risks To Canada's Drug Supply And International Trading Relations," by Brett J. Skinner, concludes that cross-border Internet drug trade between Canada and the U.S. violates intellectual property rights of pharmaceutical companies. Almost half of the sales value for generic drugs from Canada come from drugs not yet offered as generics in the United States, suggesting they remain under active patent protection, says the report.

Moreover, the illegal sales also pose a threat to Canada's own drug supply. In some cases, only limited amounts of patented drugs are sent to Canada by American pharmaceutical companies for Canadian consumption. If those drugs are shipped back to the United States, Canadians lose access. "When the estimated potential individual and bulk demand from the United States for cross-border drugs is totaled, the number of American ...