Maryland, Florida County Consider Prescription Drug Reimportation Programs

The Maryland Senate on Tuesday voted 37-10 to tentatively approve a bill (SB 167) that would allow the reimportation of lower-cost U.S.-manufactured prescription drugs from Canada, the Baltimore Sun reports (Nitkin/Zaneski, Baltimore Sun, 3/31). Under the legislation, the state would request approval from FDA to reimport prescription drugs from Canada for residents enrolled in state health programs such as Medicaid and the Maryland Pharmacy Assistance Program, the Washington Post reports. In the event that FDA denies the request, the bill calls for the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to develop a reimportation proposal immediately after the federal government legalizes the practice. The bill would also require the state health department to compile an annual report on the amount that the state would save through reimportation. "We would be ready if the winds change or the seasons change," state Sen. Paul Pinsky (D), who sponsored the legislation, said. State Sen. Thomas Middleton (D) added, "This bill is political because the citizens, not only in the state of Maryland but the country, are mad" about the high cost of prescription drugs (Craig, Washington Post, 3/31). However, state Sen. Andrew Harris (R) said that the bill would establish a "bureaucracy in the department of health duplicating a federal bureaucracy on an issue that should be handled by the federal government" (Washington Post, 3/31). State Health Secretary Nelson Sabatini added, "It seems to me that going through this motion of asking for a waiver is an exercise in futility. What Maryland should be doing is being more aggressive in leveraging its buying power and putting more pressure on the industry to get better deals" (Baltimore Sun, 3/31).

Palm Beach County, Fla., To Study Reimportation
In related news, Palm Beach County, Fla., commissioners on Tuesday decided to study a proposal for a program under which the county would reimport prescription drugs from Canada for county employees and retirees, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. County Commissioner Burt Aaronson, who proposed the program, said that U.S. prescription drug prices are "a great injustice," adding, "Why should citizens of the United States pay so much for prescription drugs?" County Commissioner Tony Masilotti said that he has no concerns about potential legal action by FDA officials because the agency has not taken action against other municipalities with reimportation programs. County Commissioner Jeff Koons said, "I think we ought to push the envelope here. This is a big issue." Aaronson estimated that the county could save $400,000 per year under a reimportation program that included the 5,000 employees and retirees in the county commission and $3.2 million per year under a program that included all elected countywide officeholders and the Palm Beach County School District. However, Dianne Howard, employee benefits director of the school district, said that she opposes reimportation because the practice violates federal law. Assistant County Attorney Tammy Fields agreed and said that the county could face legal action. Tom McGinnis, FDA director of pharmacy affairs, said, "It is definitely illegal under federal law," adding the county could "run the risk of enforcement action." He also said that some medications purchased from Canada are not manufactured in the United States, adding, "We don't know anything about them, whether they meet any kind of strength, quality or purity standards" (Man, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 3/31).

Canadian Advocacy Groups Call for Online Pharmacy Ban
The Canadian Treatment Action Council, an HIV/AIDS advocacy group; the Canadian Hemophilia Society; and four other Canadian advocacy groups have called for Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin to ban online pharmacies, the AP/Washington Times reports. In a press release, the six advocacy groups said that online pharmacies are "putting the health of Canadian at risk" because they sell medications to U.S. residents, which limits access to the treatments for Canadians and raises prices. Louise Binder, chair of the Canadian Treatment Action Council, said, "There will be shortages if we keep giving the amount of drugs that companies send into Canada outside the country." Canadian government officials said that they have monitored online pharmacies but have not found evidence that the operation of such pharmacies has led to prescription drug shortages in Canada (AP/Washington Times, 3/30).