HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.R. NO. |
66 |
TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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STRONGLY URGING THE GLAXOSMITHKLINE CORPORATION TO IMMEDIATELY RESUME PRESCRIPTION DRUG DELIVERIES TO CANADIAN-BASED mail-order pharmacies.
WHEREAS, Americans are forced to pay prescription drug prices which far exceed those in any other nation; and
WHEREAS, these extraordinarily high prices have a severe economic impact on senior citizens, who are least able to afford the costs of essential medications; and
WHEREAS, Canadian pharmacies are a critical resource for Americans to purchase prescription drugs at up to eight per cent less than comparable drugs purchased within the United States; and
WHEREAS, one of the major suppliers to Canadian-based mail-order pharmacies is the British GlaxoSmithKline corporation, the world's second largest drug manufacturer, whose total annual sales for the most recently measured twelve-month period were $29,500,000,000; and
WHEREAS, on January 21, 2003, GlaxoSmithKline suspended all shipments of prescription drugs to these Canadian pharmacies, including such popular medications as the antidepressant Paxil and allergy drug Flonase; and
WHEREAS, this suspension will severely affect the medical needs of many of America's seniors; and
WHEREAS, GlaxoSmithKline is also the manufacturer of many popular nonprescription consumer products, including Tums antacid and Aquafresh toothpaste; and
WHEREAS, in retaliation against the corporation's suspension of prescription deliveries to Canadian pharmacies, many senior citizen organizations are participating in the "Turn Down" boycott of GlaxoSmithKline's products; and
WHEREAS, the assertion of GlaxoSmithKline officials that Americans may be violating United States drug laws must be balanced against repeated assurances from United States Food and Drug Administration officials that individuals importing prescription drugs from Canada, for exclusively personal use, have no need to fear that the federal government will interfere in their Canadian drug purchases; and
WHEREAS, it is apparent that the company's motivation is premised on the loss of profits it has experienced from the shift of purchases from United States to Canadian pharmacies; and
WHEREAS, if other major drug manufacturers perceive GlaxoSmithKline's actions as successful, they may quickly follow suit; and
WHEREAS, it is imperative that GlaxoSmithKline resume its shipments of prescription drugs to Canadian pharmacies; and
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, that this body strongly urges GlaxoSmithKline corporation to immediately resume all the prescription drug deliveries to Canadian pharmacies suspended on January 21, 2003; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the United States headquarters of GlaxoSmithKline in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and to the members of Hawaii's congressional delegation.
OFFERED BY: |
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Report Title:
GlaxoSmithKline; R
esume Pharmaceutical Deliveries to Canadian Pharmacies.