PhRMA's novel plan to combat Canadian imports

Whoa, here's one I never would have thought of. According to the New York Daily News, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America commissioned a pulp fiction novel about a Croatian terrorist cell that murders Americans looking for cheap pharmaceuticals through Canadian Web sites. From the article:

In a tale worthy of a zany Washington satire - except for the lamentable fact that it's true - the rich and powerful pharmaceutical lobby secretly commissioned a thriller novel whose aim was to scare the living daylights out of folks who might want to buy cheap drugs from Canada.





When the project fell through in July, I'm told the drug lobby offered $100,000 to the co-authors and publisher in a vain effort to sweep it under the rug.

PhRMA says it was just an idea a consultant had, and they didn't go through with it. Wow, even my mind isn't devious enough to come up with a plot like this! (Thanks to Health Care Renewal for the pointer.)