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Has anyone had customs baulk at Mutaflor upon entering the US from Canada?

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Posted 6/9/2012 12:40 PM (GMT 0)
I have started using my (expired for 1.5 years but still seems reaasonably viable- can feel temporary side effects, though mild) leftover Mutaflor again and plan to head up to Canada some time this summer to pick more up- just wondering if anyone else has done this recently since the stupid FDA banned it again. My inclination is to pack it in a cooler in my checked luggage, as the cooler packs probably wont be allowed through security- and hope the bag doesnt get sent to Timbuktoo... But that still leaves the US customs issue. Declare it as a health supplement, and if they get curious they can confiscate it as banned. Don't declare it and get spot checked, and they can fine you and confiscate it... Though I am inclined to do that rather than ask for trouble by being goody two shoes only to lose it all down the drain.
Posted 6/9/2012 2:37 PM (GMT 0)
I plan on being in the Niagara region of Canada in September. Can it be purchased in stores there? Any recommendations where? I will be driving, so I'll just leave it in my cooler.
Posted 6/9/2012 4:56 PM (GMT 0)
I am going to call Medical Futures in Toronto on Monday and ask- their website however states that mail (online) order from them is the onky way to obtain it... I would like to pick it up directly in Toronto if possible rather than have it shipoed to a hotel and start warming up. It woukd sure be nice if one could pick it up in Niagara or Windsor but as best as I can tell it would have to be shipped to a hotel.

http://mutaflor.ca/about-mutaflor/where-can-i-buy-mutaflor/
Posted 6/22/2012 2:24 AM (GMT 0)
Just to update this thread esp. To answer Eph's question: I did contact Medical Futures, located in the Toronto area, and they informed me that one may pick it up at their location directly, or have it shipped to any location in Canada such as a hotel. They reminded me of course that if it has to be shipped to a hotel, to first verify with the hotel management if they will refrigerate it for you if you are not there yet. I plan to go pick some up from them directly in July or August during a visit... However I still have not figured out how to get it across the bordernwithout risking it being confiscated. If I declare it they might look it up and decide to confiscate it as a "prohibited" probiotic (argh! freakn' FDA idiots) ... If I don't declare it but have it packed with cooler packs, then it will stand out in the unlikely event I get spot inspected and then once again it could be confiscated and I could be fined. But I seem to be benefiting from it and so I will need to bring it across one way or the other.

It wouod be nice if one could declare it for personal use and get around the "ban" but I cannot find any information to that effect anyplace, so I guess we are forced to smuggle it in thanks to inept moronic government clerks at the FDA.

Post Edited (Probiotic) : 6/21/2012 8:28:17 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 6/22/2012 2:13 PM (GMT 0)
What if you have it packed in a cooler with cooler packs along with bottles of water, sandwiches... you know the type of thing you usually pack in a cooler. Would it look like it's for personal use then? Or is it too big a package to do that? I don't know what it looks like, I'm picturing a regular pill bottle. If they ask, then say "Oh that's my medicine, I take a pill with every meal".
Posted 6/22/2012 5:02 PM (GMT 0)
Probiotic,
I absolutely agree with you. When Mutaflor was banned by FDA I was so devastated and called FDA just about every bad word I could think of, in all 3 languages I know. My husband even wrote to our senator. It did not do any good.
Mutaflor is the only probiotic that put me in remission without any drugs or other supplements and kept me in remission for about 1.5 years I took it.
I highly recommend this probiotic.
Good luck to all of you, who is trying to get it from Canada. Maybe call the Customs and ask about Mutaflor, if is allowed. If not allowed I would try to do illegally. What else we suppose to do?
FDA is forcing us to break the law, because they are idiots and the law is stupid. That is all I can say about it.
Posted 6/22/2012 6:30 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah I will call customs anonymously and ask. I'd be afraid to ask under my name otherwise they could flag me to be spot checked if they tell me there is no legal way to bring it in for personal use.
Posted 6/22/2012 6:36 PM (GMT 0)
Probiotic,
please post the answer from the Customs. I would like to know in case I will do the same. I am sure many people will want to know too.
Posted 6/23/2012 3:41 AM (GMT 0)
I haven't had a chance yet to try calling US customs, but I am willing to bet that few customs inspectors would have a clue what Mutaflor is, much less that it is banned. However, that is little comfort if one is spot checked. As far as customs and FDA policy- basically, at their "discretion" they can allow up to a three month supply of a prohibited "drug" for personal use for serious health conditions for which no treatment exists and a letter is produced to that effect that includes name and address of a doctor... bla Bla...

http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/ImportProgram/ucm173751.htm

It really sounds like they kind of do indeed force us to simply smuggle it in, as declaring it could result in a farcical delay of phone calls by the local customs inspector. I am inclined to just pack it in a cooler with freezer packs, in my checked baggage and in the highly unlikely event that I am spot checked just play dumb at the same time be honest, namely that it is a health supplement. Most customs inspectors would care less as they are looking for narcotics, terrorists and criminals not probiotics smugglers lol. But I hope this incredibly stupid FDA policy ends soon.

Post Edited (Probiotic) : 6/22/2012 9:44:40 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 6/23/2012 7:17 PM (GMT 0)
probiotic,
I would do exactly the same thing. If they ask what it is just say it is probiotic and should be refrigerated. I highly doubt they will confiscate it. It is not narcotics or explosives.
I was going to drive to Canada and just put Mutaflor in a cooler with my food and drinks. If asked about Mutaflor I would just say it is my health supplement.
To me If FDA stuck their noses and trying to change the classification of Mutaflor from "medical food" to "biologic" and not any other probiotic on the market, it just proves to me how effective Mutaflor is.

My best wishes to you and everybody who is planning to take a trip to Canada.
Posted 6/24/2012 3:28 AM (GMT 0)
You shouldn't have a problem bringing in some Mutaflor for personal use. I think it's illegal to sell in the US, not ingest.

Mutaflor comes in a box (3.5 x2.5 x2.5). There are six sheets of foil enclosed tablets inside each box. ( a lot like gum). The boxes are packed in a small styrofoam box with some disposable gel/ice packs. They are usually shipped out on a Monday so they won't be sitting around on a weekend somewhere.

When crossing the border, there would be no need to say anything unless specifically asked. Just name them as supplements, have your receipts ready, I don't think they'd bat an eye. I live in a border town and it's always best just to answer what the customs officer asks, don't offer any extra info.

Where are you planning to cross the border?
Posted 6/24/2012 4:36 AM (GMT 0)
I am planning to cross the border via a flight, most likely going through US customs oubound in Toronto Pearson. I am nervous that if they see me declare a few hundred dollars of "health supplements" they will open it up, see the word "e.coli" on the boxes, and start making phone calls and resulting trouble- with the best case possibly being that they want to hold the stuff pending a call back from some other government office that never comes- and officially according to FDA policy one would need at least a letter from a doctor (probably a good idea to whip one off for my doctor to print and sign for me to have on me just in case). I agree that not declaring creates risks too of course- it's not an ideal situation either way thanks to the idiotic FDA policy.

Post Edited (Probiotic) : 6/23/2012 10:39:00 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 6/24/2012 5:20 AM (GMT 0)
Wow, this does seem to be a big problem doesn't it? Out of curiosity I did a search on how to bring supplements into the U.S. for personal use, and it's right there in black and white that you can not bring bacterial culture in.

I'm thinking you wouldn't have a problem with two or three, possibly four boxes, because that should be reasonable for personal use. If you had a Canadian contact who lives in a border town, it would be easy enough to bring a box over and mail it. I wish I could help you, but I don't have a passport so I don't cross the border anymore. Of course, before we needed passports, I used to cross over and bring stuff back (but my experience for bringing stuff in is with Canada customs).

Good luck with all this, I hope you get some nice customs officers and if you're coming to Canada anyways, I hope you enjoy yourself. Toronto is a lot of fun, I go there quite a bit.
Posted 6/25/2012 12:50 AM (GMT 0)
Just a thought- the foil packages do NOT say "e.coli" whereas the cardboard boxes that hold them do... Methinks I am going to ditch the cardboard lol. "e.coli" just not something I want staring a customs inspector in the face if they happen to look at my probiotics. I guess that word is what freaked some half-brained FDA clerk who banned it.
Posted 6/25/2012 3:02 PM (GMT 0)
I would just put Mutaflor in my check in luggage, packed with cold packs and wrapped well in a big towel and surrounded with a lot of clothes.
I have traveled a lot abroad. They will inspect the carry-on luggage much more than the check in. For example it is not allowed to bring any alcohol or perfume in the carry-on but you can put it in the check in.
They just scan it and that is all. You should not have any problems.
Posted 6/27/2012 12:10 AM (GMT 0)
Lol, here is the ludicrous refusal report of the FDA for Mutaflor, declaring it a "drug". What clueless idiot at that agency was responsible for this? Whoever they were, it was probably a make-work star on their resume to rise to the next GS level- what a sad, sorry agency this is...

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/importrefusals/ir_detail.cfm?EntryId=BGK-0938557-7&DocId=2&LineId=1&SfxId=&utm_campaign=Google2&utm_source=fdaSearch&utm_medium=website&utm_term=Mutaflor&utm_content=2
Posted 6/27/2012 2:06 AM (GMT 0)
lookforcure's advice is probably the best, just put it in your check in all wrapped up.

I'm not in a big city, so we actually haul our luggage to the Xray machine and hoist it up on the conveyor. Once, I packed a bunch of frozen sausage for my daughter. Security looked a bit perplexed and I quickly piped up, "it's frozen sausage for my daughter" She just smiled. Apparently sausages look oddly similar to bombs shocked
Posted 6/27/2012 1:52 PM (GMT 0)
about Mutaflor:
"The article appears to be a new drug without an approved new drug application."

Are they completely lost their minds? Mutaflor was on the market in a few countries for more than 50 years. It is one of the safest probiotic and the most researched. It was on the market in the USA for 2-3 years.
They are IDIOTS! It is all about money. Some pharmaceutical company paid FDA to block Mutaflor. There is no other explanation for this lunacy.
By the way you are not importing Mutaflor to sell, you are buying for your own personal use. End of story. I would really like to sue FDA for this.
Posted 7/1/2012 11:51 AM (GMT 0)
Noob here. Mutaflor was recommended by my nutritionist but as detailed here can't seem to obtain it. After ranting for days about FDA and reading about it on the web I thought of a possible scheme. Apparently one can make a yogurt from Mutaflor. What if you had a friend in Canada who could receive the Mutaflor and make a batch of yogurt. You can visit them and take the yogurt home with you. I visited friends and they gave me some for to take home. Now you have a mother culture and can share with others. Sort of like passing around kefir grains. I realize that keeping the culture pure is an issue but may need to refresh very so often.
Posted 7/5/2012 2:37 AM (GMT 0)
It sounds appealing but can one really culture Mutaflor into yogurt? I am rather skeptical- but it would be terrific. However, even if one could, the bacteria would be unlikely to get to the colon... That is why mutaflor is enterically coated to get past the stomach and small gut. Honestly, as far as bringing it into the US, I dont forsee much risk simply smuggling it in luggage for personal use- i.e. simply packing it up and not declaring it. However, it is a nuisance and would sure be nice to be able to order it again and not have to travel up to Canada to "smuggle" it in ones luggage.
Posted 7/7/2012 12:43 AM (GMT 0)
There was a page on culturing Mutaflor with soy milk but not much else I could find.

http://www.drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/Growing_Mutaflor

Regarding stability through the GI I see your point about the coating but from what I understand there is also a form of Mutaflor that comes in liquid for for children so I assumed that it was somewhat resistant to stomach acid and bile.

http://www.mutaflor.de/cms/produkt/mutaflor-suspension

I also called Medical Futures to try and get an idea if they had heard of customers successfully getting Mutaflor back into the US. They were very willing to talk to me and referred me to their legal person. She pretty much did not want to give any specific info but seemed to be trying to tell me that I would have no problem if I said it was for personal use. I'm visiting my folks soon in upstate NY and will try to get some sent to one of their friends over the border and then pick it up and see what happens. I'm really uncomfortable not declaring it if asked though.
Posted 7/9/2012 1:30 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the links- yeah I am not keen on the non-declaring either but I reckon declaring could result in them being confiscated- tricky dxmned if one does, dxmned if one doesnt dilemma.
Posted 10/22/2012 5:28 PM (GMT 0)
I was thinking of going up to Vancouver (from CA) and taking a large empty bottle of my Betaine HCL or several bottles of my regular probiotic and transfer the mutaflor into that bottle(s) and then storing in cooler. Anyone know where to buy in Vancouver?

dancing_crane
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