Controlling medicinesOctober 27, 2011Dear Sir,To follow up the publishing today in The Royal Gazette of my question with regard to the safety of pharmaceuticals from India, especially of generics, and because of one concerned politician’s phone call over the weekend to my home phone number, as that caller felt I was misrepresenting an issue and perhaps “taking sides”, I feel it is incumbent upon me to clarify some points:1. I merely raised a question: How is the Minister of Health and the Ministry of Health going to safeguard against possible counterfeiting if Bermuda was given full rein to importing pharmaceuticals from India, knowing that within that industry in India it is, as reported, to be a major source, if not the major source, of counterfeit pharmaceuticals?2. I am not against the importation of generics per se and wonder why we can’t do that from say New Jersey?3. The answer to 2 may very well be in the contract arrangements signed by our major wholesalers/retailers with pharmaceutical companies years ago, but I am not privy to that information. And it may be also that Bermuda is geographically and incorrectly lumped into the Caribbean so brand name pharmaceutical may very well be shipped from transshipment points such as Puerto Rico which would be costlier than again say New Jersey. The retailers/wholesalers would have to answer that question.4. Then there is the question of markups and “cartelism”, as I am sure everyone is suspicious of.5. In point of fact according to a 2007 report linked here: http://www.cci.in/pdf/surveys_reports/indias_pharmaceutical_industry.pdf, 74 percent of Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers are FDA approved. So to have arrangements whereby these approved exporters are the only ones used, and that there are no hidden middlemen, would seem reasonable, assuming of course that the drugs themselves are not sent elsewhere for packaging in which case that review and approval process begins anew.6. Perhaps, while I am all for free markets and fee market capitalism, at least where health is concerned there should be properly appointed and qualified independent boards to oversee our local pharmaceutical industry and where necessary regulate it.I have no axe to grind and like all family heads have health concerns within members of my family, and thus concerned only with the safety and general well being of my family as well as that of the community at large as every responsible citizen should be.I asked a fair question and did not imply that I am against less expensive medication being brought into the Island; far from it. However, they must be of quality, they must efficacious, and above all they must not be harmful.And if this is to occur then there must be quality control and stringent examining of suppliers and the delivery chain.That was my only point.BRUCE McMARTINWarwick