Should U.S. citizens be allowed to buy prescription drugs abroad without consulting a physician in that country?
In answering this question, you may want to consider the issues raised in Case #1 as well as the ones outlined below. Points to consider: 1. The price of tamoxifen, which is used to treat breast cancer, is eight times more expensive in the U.S. than in Canada, where drug prices are regulated as a result of socialized medicine. In a recent news report on National Public Radio, a Vermont woman who is being treated for breast cancer stated that tamoxifen cost her $1,000 more per year in the U.S. than in Canada. As it stands now, she must see a Canadian doctor before she is able to buy this drug in Canada. 2. It has been suggested that the high cost of prescription drugs in this country is the price that U.S. citizens pay for being on the cutting edge of technology. 3. It has also been suggested that other countries are getting a “free ride” by taking advantage of discoveries made by pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. 4. Without regulation by the FDA, it is possible that U.S. citizens mi