Wednesday, October 4, 2006

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have scrapped their 11-month-old policy of seizing prescription drugs imported through the mail from Canada, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The practice had come under fire from lawmakers for depriving American seniors of their drugs and protecting the prices charged by U.S. pharmaceutical companies, the newspaper said.

Citing a Customs spokeswoman, The Journal said the seizures would stop on October 9.

Prescription drugs are cheaper in Canada, because its national health-care system negotiates lower prices for its citizens, The Journal said.