New Pharmacy Rules in Manitoba Rile Internet Pharmacies

The Manitoba International Pharmacists Association (MIPA), which represents Manitoba-based Internet pharmacies, has indicated that several of its members are considering leaving the province if the provincial government does not amend its proposed new pharmacy legislation, Bill 41. According to the Manitoba government, Bill 41 is intended to modernize the pharmacy profession and make it easier for people in rural and northern Manitoba to have their prescriptions filled. While MIPA supports many of the provisions in Bill 41, it claims that too much power is given to the provincial pharmacy regulatory authority (the Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association). For example, it asserts that the Bill would allow the Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association to go on "fishing expeditions" when it inspects Internet pharmacies rather than investigating one complaint at a time. The Bill also makes liability insurance mandatory (which Internet pharmacies have not often been able to obtain) and it redefines a recognized prescribing doctor to prohibit the current practice of paying Canadian doctors to co-sign prescriptions written by US doctors. For more information, see: http://masl.to/?V27112F4E Summary by: Andrei Edwards