CANADIAN INTERNET PHARMACIES COULD TRANSFER OVERSEAS

Manitoba, Canada-based internet pharmacy universaldrugstore.com has insisted that recent moves by authorities to impose restrictions on sales to US citizens will not force the company to close. Company sources claim that some European locations would be equally convenient in terms of regulation, trading and safety requirements. The company has not disclosed its preferred site for relocation if new rules against the trade come into effect, although operating costs are likely to be a key consideration.

New regulations, currently being studied by Canadian Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh, would seek to penalise Canadian doctors who sign prescriptions for patients they have not physically examined. The controversial proposals would also prohibit doctors from signing prescriptions for patients who are not physically present in Canada, as well as preventing the export of certain drugs. Despite the pledges by internet pharmacies to transfer operations abroad, the new laws would be likely to constrain bricks and mortar pharmacies, which are currently engaged in Canada's lucrative re-import trade.