Welcome to the Business Journal Archives
Search for articles below, or continue to the all new BusinessJournalDaily.com now.
Search
19 State AGs Seek Legal Imports of Drugs from Canada
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- State Attorney General Jim Petro and his counterparts from 18 other states have called on the federal government to allow for safe, limited, controlled importation of pharmaceuticals from Canada. "Immediate action is needed to help relieve the crushing financial burden borne by millions of Ohioans as a result of the explosive growth in the cost of prescription medications," Petro emphasizes. "It is possible to provide citizens with affordable prescription drugs while ensuring safety."The Attorneys General wrote to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, asking him to exercise his authority under federal law to allow for importation of prescription drugs from Canada to ease the burden placed on citizens and the states who bear the cost of increasing drug prices.They outlined a three-pronged approach that will form the basis of a safe and efficient means to bring prescription drugs from Canada to American consumers:Allow states to be appointed as licensed wholesalers or allow the States to contract with licensed wholesalers for the importation of FDA approved drugs from CanadaPermit the states to work with Health Canada and the Food and Drug Administration to inspect Canadian pharmacies and exchange drug plant inspection informationRequire that all drugs be manufactured in FDA approved facilities and imported into the United States in original packaging, with adequate controls to prevent counterfeiting"With the assistance of the Food and Drug Administration, [we] can work with the Canadian authorities to develop a process for the safe importation of prescription drugs," the Attorneys General wrote. "We respectfully request that you provide us with the opportunity to do so."In addition to Ohio, the letter was signed by attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Northern Marianas Islands, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin. "