FDA Official Warns Boston Mayor Against Program To Reimport Prescription Drugs from Canada
FDA Associate Commissioner William Hubbard on Wednesday in a letter formally warned Boston Mayor Thomas Menino (D) about the safety risks of a program that allows some city employees and retirees to reimport lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada and asked him to end the program, the Boston Herald reports (Heldt Powell, Boston Herald, 8/5). About 14,000 city employees, retirees and their dependents covered under the city Blue Cross and Blue Shield health plan qualify for the Meds by Mail program, which began this month. Program participants can obtain maintenance medications such as Lipitor without copayments but cannot get medications that could have severe interactions with other treatments, require substantial medical management, are temperature sensitive or are controlled substances. Calgary-based Total Care Pharmacy provides the medications, and Menino has said that the contract between the city and the pharmacy requires safety measures and ensures quality (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 7/22). However, Total Care has "a history of violating deals with Wisconsin and Minnesota, of shipping drugs that are not approved for use in the United States, and has agreed not to export to America," the Herald reports. Hubbard said, "This is disturbing information that demonstrates an ongoing pattern of putting U.S. citizens at risk and is even more alarming because the violations (by the Canadian exporter) continue despite repeated warnings from the state of Wisconsin." Hubbard said that FDA in the future might ask a judge to issue an injunction against the program but currently seeks to convince Boston officials to end the program voluntarily. He added, "We understand the motivation. There are a lot of public officials who feel they have to do something about the high cost of drugs." However, he said, "We know some of the drugs coming from some of these pharmacies are bad drugs, and we're powerless to do anything against it." Menino was unavailable for comment (Boston Herald, 8/5).
California Delegation Says Rx From Canadian Pharmacies Safe
In other reimportation news, an 11-member California legislative delegation on Wednesday said that prescription drugs purchased from Canadian pharmacies are safe, the Contra Costa Times reports. The delegation, which includes health officials, lobbyists and political aides, visited Canadian pharmacies to determine whether state residents could safely purchase prescription drugs from them. Based on the results of a three-day visit in July, members of the delegation said that they support a state-sponsored Web site to help state residents purchase prescription drugs from Canada. Two bills (SB 1149 and AB 1957) under consideration in the state Legislature would establish such a Web site; both have passed in their houses of origin but are opposed by the California Board of Pharmacy over concerns that such a Web site would violate federal law. Gary Passmore, executive director of the Congress of California Seniors, said, "California seniors and consumers have been misled," adding, "They have been frightened by drug makers and misled by the FDA with claims that drugs from Canada are not safe." However, Hubbard said, "The most important concern for the FDA is that we have no regulatory control over these products," adding, "I'm not saying that every American is getting a bad drug ... (but) we do know that there have been problems" (Silber, Contra Costa Times, 8/5).
