Illinois Considers Buying Drugs in Canada

Monday, September 15, 2003

By Monica Davey

New York Times Writer

William K. Hubbard, associate commissioner of the F.D.A., said there could be risks from drugs bought in Canada, including those not approved by the F.D.A. and not made in the United States, those that have expired or were improperly stored and those without labels. "It's not O.K. for the individual to bring in drugs, but so much of the stuff is coming in, and it's so uncompassionate to go after patients."

CHICAGO, Ill. -- NYT
Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois is considering whether his state should begin buying prescription drugs from Canada for its employees, a decision that he says could save tens of millions of dollars, but could also put him at odds with the Food and Drug Administration over the issue.

"It doesn't matter where you go in our state, you meet people who are struggling with the cost of prescription drugs," Mr. Blagojevich, a Democrat, said in an interview this afternoon. "If you can buy the same drug made by the same company, and it is safe and it costs less, then that makes sense."

In a faltering economy, Illinois taxpayers spent $340 million this year, a 15 percent increase over last year, to provide drugs for 230,000 current and retired state employees, the governor said. That figure is projected to grow by 17 percent next year.

The cost of prescription drugs in Canada and most other industrialized countries is regulated by the government, unlike in the United States. Last year, drug prices in this country were 67 percent higher than in Canada, a report by a Canadian health agency found.

But Mr. Blagojevich could face legal problems if he decides to pursue Canadian sources, because the federal Food and Drug Administration bars people from importing drugs that have not been approved by the agency, and bars the resale of drugs made here, exported elsewhere, then returned here.

(More: NYTimes.com)

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Dan