importation

[badxmojo]

our state legistlature just passed a law allowing the importation of drug from overseas. Many of the faculty memebers of our school were against the law and urged us to go to to the meeting and voice our opinions. I'm not so sure I disagree with the importation of drugs. It is cheaper..and some people are strapped for cash.
They say its a safety issue, but wouldn't you say the same issue of safety exists with mail order pharmacy? No one is trying to outlaw that.

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[kwakster928]

I am assuming those drugs are not controlled by FDA. Are those drugs demonstate bioequilvancies compare to other drug? i really dont know what kind of drug is getting imported here. could you validate? as far as importing goes i am not against it as long as its proven safe.

 

[jdpharmd?]

our state legistlature just passed a law allowing the importation of drug from overseas. Many of the faculty memebers of our school were against the law and urged us to go to to the meeting and voice our opinions. I'm not so sure I disagree with the importation of drugs. It is cheaper..and some people are strapped for cash.
They say its a safety issue, but wouldn't you say the same issue of safety exists with mail order pharmacy? No one is trying to outlaw that.

It's against federal law. It doesn't matter that the states "allow it", because it's illegal anyway. It's a political move, 100%. Funny that we're afraid of a "tainted" drug supply, but people wonder why we aren't importing (illegally) from Mexico, Asia, etc...

 

[badxmojo]

well i think the drugs are fda approved. They would be drugs like ours.. like Zantac for example.. except they were being imported from canada.

 

[jdpharmd?]

well i think the drugs are fda approved. They would be drugs like ours.. like Zantac for example.. except they were being imported from canada.

Yup, it's illegal to import FDA approved drugs that have already been exported...

 

[kwakster928]

That is just simply funny. drug simply does a full circle and price just drops.

 

[lord999]

No, it isn't illegal, but it has to follow some very technical guidelines (lot number, storage, etc.). We currently do that with Rapimmune and Enbriel (which are not made in this nation). That's a problem. We allow pharma to reimport when they meet FDA guidelines, but refuse to allow the same for the citizenry, even if they get it from the same lot numbered stock.

 

[bananaface]

Some of us are talking about importation while others are talking about reimportation.

The official word from the FDA on reimportation: "even if a prescription drug is approved in the U.S., if the drug is also originally manufactured in the U.S., it is a violation of the Act for anyone other than the U.S. manufacturer to import the drug into the United States (21 U.S.C. ? 381(d)(1))"

On importation: "all...drugs....are subject to examination by FDA when they are being imported or offered for import into the United States...All imported products are required to meet the same standards as domestic goods."

 

[Tuck]

I know there is a big debate in regards to this issue, but I really don't think that there will be much of an impact whichever way things fall out. If pharmacies begin to reimport drugs, then sooner or later the manufacturing companies are going to reduce exports to those countries. As the inventories are reduced, then reimportation will drop significantly, and they will be forced to buy in the states. On the other hand, if legislation prevents this, then things will continue on the way they are. Either way, I don't think there will be any significant effect overall. Taking this into consideration, I tend to favor upholding of the current laws on the subject. If reimportation does become legal, then I think it opens the door to importation of unregulated drugs that are not subject to FDA guidelines in the future.

 

[Caverject]

my cynical side of me would LOVE to see the drug importation law passed. I would also LOVE it if some counterfiet drugs got into the system and killed off about 100 people. Then we can finally see why this is not such a great idea....

 

[dgroulx]

I'm not sure where I stand on this issue. I used to be totally against it. Canada has socialized medicine with price controls. The insurance lobby in this country would never allow socialized medicine. I do believe that the drugs sent from our country to Canada are safe for consumption, as are all brand name drugs. I see lots of elderly people who can't afford their medication. They really don't have any other alternative but to buy their meds from a cheaper source. When the stupid medicare cards came out, the drug companies all raised their prices to compensate. I counsel patients on which drugs are more important for them to take, since they can't afford all of them. Working in a 90% geriatric pharmacy has really made me see things in a different light.

 

[bananaface]

my cynical side of me would LOVE to see the drug importation law passed. I would also LOVE it if some counterfiet drugs got into the system and killed off about 100 people. Then we can finally see why this is not such a great idea....

We get counterfeit drugs here already, on occasion. Does anyone know how the rate fo Counterfeiting compares between the US and Canada? I think that is a deciding factor.

 

[Glycerin]

I'm not sure where I stand on this issue. I used to be totally against it. Canada has socialized medicine with price controls. The insurance lobby in this country would never allow socialized medicine. I do believe that the drugs sent from our country to Canada are safe for consumption, as are all brand name drugs. I see lots of elderly people who can't afford their medication. They really don't have any other alternative but to buy their meds from a cheaper source. When the stupid medicare cards came out, the drug companies all raised their prices to compensate. I counsel patients on which drugs are more important for them to take, since they can't afford all of them. Working in a 90% geriatric pharmacy has really made me see things in a different light.

I agree. I used to be completely against the idea, too, until my own grandmother reached the age of 65 and lost her prescription coverage when my grandfather died. Now, every month, she has to choose between blood pressure pills, cholesterol meds, Premarin, and meds for interstitial cystitis because she doesn't have enough money for all of them.

In a perfect world, though, this wouldn't be a problem. Then again, we'd all be out of work.

 

[bananaface]

Apress release from the Washington State Pharmacy Association (WSPA)10/29/2004

"Washington State Pharmacy Association
Opposes Gov. Locke's Rx Washington Drug Import Program

In a reckless move, Washington State's lame duck Governor, Gary Locke,
announced that Washington residents can now directly access lower-priced
prescription drugs from Canada via a state website. This announcement came
as a complete surprise, and to be honest, a shock to WSPA. Locke has joined
the governors from Minnesota and Wisconsin in a collaborative effort to work
with three Canadian pharmacies to provide prescription medications for the
citizens of Washington. As of today, Illinois, Missouri, and Tennessee have
announced their intentions in joining this effort, for a total of six states
with more states to come.

In addition to the website, Locke plans on setting up a direct link to the
state's Rx Washington site (www.rx.wa.gov) listing the top 25 drugs and
their prices from various Washington pharmacies. This page is due to be up
and running by December 1, 2004.

Governor Locke did this with zero stakeholder input. When we asked about
this, Locke's staff indicated to us that the Governor felt very strongly
about this and didn't feel stakeholder input was necessary. It feels like
AWARDS all over again.

A number of WSPA members asked where Gubernatorial Candidates Gregoire and Rossi were at on this issue. Staff called these two campaigns and asked them their position. Gregoire's camp is in full support of importation, they
don't feel there are any safety issues surrounding drugs from Canada. In
addition, Gregoire attempted to gather pricing information so she could
create a web site to post prices two years ago. Rossi's main concern is
safety. He feels there are huge safety concerns and supports looking for
in-state cost saving options. When asked about pricing, the Rossi camp asked
if it was legal. They admitted they were not educated enough yet on this
subject but they did say they initially had concerns with the concept.

What is WSPA doing? First we are looking into the legal aspect of whether or
not the state can post your medication prices. This is proprietary
information and we feel an illegal move. Express Scripts has already sent
out an Alert asking for pharmacies U&C pricing. We have Attorney's looking
into the legality of this.

Second WSPA has designed a two pronged approach program to oppose Governor Locke's plan. The first part of the program is an advertising campaign entitled, "Waive Goodbye to Your Rights," it's designed to warn consumers about patient's rights that they will be giving up if they choose to
participate in Governor Locke's Rx Washington drug importation plan. The
second part is the Washington State Pharmacy Patients' Bill of Rights, which
clearly lays out what every patient should expect when they have a
prescription filled in Washington.

The "Waive Goodbye to Your Rights" ad is part of the Consumer/Press
Information Kit. Please make this available to customers, or run it in your
local newspaper. As providers we must get the message out to the citizens
of Washington that buying drugs from foreign sources could be putting their
health at risk.

The Washington State Pharmacy Patients' Bill of Rights is aimed to educate
the people of Washington on their rights as consumers when purchasing U.S.
FDA approved medications. Consumers must be informed that when they
purchase medications from a Washington licensed pharmacy they are not asked
to waive their legal or medical rights. Under Locke's plan they will be
required to waive their right.

Locke's plan is risky and ill thought out. It is our obligation as an
industry to inform our patients, the citizens of Washington, about the
potential danger of imported foreign prescription drugs and the specific
dangers posed by the Governor's rx.wa.gov program."

 

[cognito]

I think everybody is missing some important statistics, A good part of drugs being ordered from sources representing to be Canadian, are actually just routed through that country and actually originate in 3rd world countries where counterfeit drugs make up more that 50% of the supply. That is what concerns me, and the more stops exist between the manufacturer and the consumer, the more uncertain the integrity of the supply becomes.

 

[Longhorn23]

here is my 2 cents: I understand the need for profit by the drug makers since inventing a drug is extremely time consuming and expensive but aren't people in USA subsidizing for Canadian consumers in an indirect manner? Why should there be so much inequality in price for the same drug just north of the border? The US needs to do something about this. It is a huge country with a lot of economic and political clout, surely we can come up with a more fair system.

 

[the2ndwish]

Think about it this way.

Legal matters aside, if the United States imports or reimports pharmaceuticals from Canada, eventually, Canada will run out of supply and the price will go up for Canadians and finally reach equilibrium with the United States. Canadians won't get the drugs they need and eventually most won't be able to afford the price increase. In the long run, we don't benefit and the Canadians lose.

If drug manufacturers priced drugs equally all over the world, most countries (for example, many countries in Africa), would not have access to new and life saving drugs. From my understanding, drug companies base price on some kind of system-like the GNP for setting price. If we continue to import from outside countries, eventually, price will come to an equilibrium. The United States would benefit from cheaper drugs but at the same time take drugs away from other countries.

The United States is a rich nation and if we want to continue to have access to the latest drugs, our scientists have to do the research and development. Only 5% of drugs make it to the market-and even then, it's a risky business (take Vioxx for example). If we want to continue to be leaders in pharmaceutical development, we've got to pay the costs to encourage R&D.

At the same time, I know it sounds like I'm saying that we should just bear the burden for the world but that's not my meaning. I think that in order to solve the high cost of prescription medication and health care for that matter, we need to come up with an internal solution.

Why not have the government buy out patents so generics can be available sooner? (The money the govt can save on generics can be used to pay for patents)

Have you noticed the increase in drug ads? Many manufacturers spend as much money on ads and marketing as R&D (all those free pens and stickies you get in the pharmacy aren't "free").

The point is, there are a lot of contributing factors. The solution isn't simple. You can't just expect that importing will solve the problem. It's just a temporary solution.