Editorial: Canada gives Bayer a headache

Monday, Oct. 22, 2001 | 9:05 a.m.

There is a concern that the supply of Cipro, an antibiotic to treat anthrax, is in danger of being reduced to low levels because there has been a rush by people to get the drug. Much of the demand is needless stockpiling by people who fear they may contract anthrax. While this is creating an unnecessary drain on the supply, it is a drain nonetheless. Bayer, the maker of Cipro, claims that it is boosting production and will be able to meet the increased demand. The pharmaceutical giant's assertion is backed by the White House and GOP congressmen, but it is viewed suspiciously by some congressional Democrats.

The United States government is divided over what to do, but Canada is taking extraordinary steps to ensure it has a steady supply of medicine to fight anthrax. Canada has lifted the patent that Bayer has on Cipro, and that country has ordered a million tablets of a generic version of Cipro from a different drug maker. Bayer claims that the action by Canada is unwarranted, but this is an instance where Bayer should be a good corporate citizen and agree to the increased production of a generic alternative to Cipro.

It was only after intense public criticism that the Bush administration announced late last week that it was negotiating with Bayer and other companies to buy more antibiotics to treat anthrax. The move was belated, and not as strong as Canada's, but it at least is a step in the right direction.

The dispute over Cipro production is but one instance of the drug makers' hold over the Republican Party. For example, the companies have successfully enlisted the support of the GOP to fend off Democratic efforts to provide a prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients. The companies fear that if the federal government was buying the drugs in a large bulk, lower prices could be negotiated, which in turn would mean lower profits for the pharmaceutical companies. As it stands now there are senior citizens in nearby Maine, Montana and elsewhere who travel to Canada just to buy prescription drugs because the prices in the United States are too high. It's a shame that citizens of this country have to travel across the border to buy a drug because pharmaceutical companies are allowed to gouge the American public.

Canada, our quiet neighbor to the north, doesn't get much attention from the United States. But the Bush administration would do well to look to that country's policies on the pricing and availability of prescription drugs.