Reimportation and Zionism

Looking to stand out in the vast wave of drug reimportation companies, several --including IsraMeds, Magen David Meds, and Pharmacy International-- have focused on reimportation of drugs from Israel to the US. In addition to the usual value proposition of getting identical meds for lower prices, these companies add the bonus of helping support the Israeli economy. Magen David Meds, for example,  buys from community pharmacists.The companies market to the Jewish community through Jewish newspapers and mailings to synagogues. I recall seeing some of these ads in our local Jewish Advocate.From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency:

Epstein buys Tamoxifen, a drug used to treat advanced breast cancer, from Pharmacy International...Epstein, a former New Yorker, learned of the Israeli option through an advertisement in the New York Jewish Week.“I asked my doctor about it and he said sure,” she said.She also asked her husband, a rabbi, if it was ethical to buy the drug from a country other than Israel if it could be bought for less.“He said to do what was best financially,” she said. Fortunately, she said, at the moment she does not have to make a choice. “Tamoxifen is cheaper in Israel than anywhere else.”Judith Aaronson, 89, of Los Angeles, purchases her medications from Pharmacy International even when she doesn’t save “that much,” she says.“The drugs are mainly identical to what I would buy here. They look the same. My reasoning is to support Israel. I trust they know what they’re doing,” she said.

Plenty of people in the US --not just Jews-- buy Israeli when they can. This is another way to do so.