Illinois, Wisconsin Add Australia, New Zealand to I-Save Rx Reimportation Program

As expected, Illinois and Wisconsin on Monday announced plans to add Australia and New Zealand to I-Save Rx, a multistate program that allows residents to purchase lower-cost prescription drugs from other nations, the New York Times reports (Ruethling, New York Times, 7/19). Illinois launched I-Save Rx in October 2004, and Wisconsin, Missouri, Kansas and Vermont later joined the program. The states contract with CanaRx, a Canadian pharmacy benefit manager that operates a network of online pharmacies, to allow residents to connect with a clearinghouse of 45 pharmacies and prescription drug wholesalers in Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Residents can purchase only prescription refills, and most generic medications, narcotics and treatments that require refrigeration or other special care are excluded. Residents have placed more than 10,000 orders though I-Save Rx since the program began (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 7/18). Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) said in a statement, "The drug companies and their allies are turning up the heat in Canada, which has been the primary point of purchase for millions of Americans. We've known for some time that a sound importation program can't rely solely on Canada" (New York Times, 7/19). Sue Reinardy, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, said, "It is all about trying to find some additional supply to keep the prices down" (Boulton, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 7/18). A report issued by Blagojevich on Monday found that average prices for 78 common prescription drugs were 51% lower in Australia and 32% lower in Canada than in the U.S. However, Ken Johnson, a senior vice president at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said in a statement, "Expanding the program to include Australia and New Zealand provides no assurances to American patients that the imported medicines won't, in fact, come from countries like Pakistan or Thailand that don't have strong safety regulations."

Safety Concerns Addressed
Abby Ottenhoff, a spokesperson for Blagojevich, said that I-Save Rx only uses licensed pharmacies from abroad, adding that those pharmacies must meet Illinois standards and cannot dispense medications that originate in nations not included in the program. She added that Illinois has received no reports of injuries or deaths caused by medications purchased through I-Save Rx. "For us, this isn't about cornering a market," she said, adding, "This is about providing an option that just wasn't there before" (New York Times, 7/19).