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Drug Imports

Imported drugs cost 30% to 50% less than the same drugs sold in the U.S., leading many Americans to search the Web for mail-order sites and go on cross-border drug-buying bus trips.

At least 20 states have sought permission from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to circumvent the U.S. market and import drugs from foreign pharmacies.

The FDA has taken the official position that the safety and purity of imported drugs cannot be assured, and that importation opens the door for counterfeits and dangerous drugs. Drug importation is also opposed by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and pharmacy trade groups.

Opponents of drug importation say the products could be ineffective or toxic and aren't subject to the strict regulatory review required in the U.S. Proponents contend that drugs are imported from legitimate, licensed pharmacies located in other countries and can be purchased with confidence.

Is importation of prescription medications right for your patients?

I think that when the patient gets a better deal—the same drug and it comes in cheaper—that's what competition is all about. Medicine from Canada? If it's the same medicine, I'd say yes.

Richard Frick, MD Cardiology Sacramento, Calif.

I support any efforts to reduce what is, for many of my patients, an unbearable burden of drug cost. I think there are potential problems with reimportation, but these could be dealt with if there was the political will to do so. Canada is a nation with a modern health care system and reasonable standards. Mexico could be more problematic.

The safety issue is largely a smoke-screen for the pharmaceutical companies that wish to maintain their bottom line. When I started in my practice in 1989, a new drug coming on the market was about $30 a month, and now it is not unusual for products to start out at five times that amount. Health costs have been rising at an unsustainable clip, as those of us who pay for our employees' health insurance can attest to, and pharmaceutical charges are rising at an even faster rate than overall health costs.

The real question is: Why do U.S. citizens pay twice as much as our European and Canadian brethren? I think the answer is at least partly related to the fact that the pharmaceutical industry has become the leading lobby on Capitol Hill and has poured millions into the campaigns of our elected representatives.

Jack H. Wolf, MD Family Practice Graham, N.C.

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