State opens online link for drug imports

By David Ammons
The Associated Press

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OLYMPIA — Washington state has launched a Web site to help guide senior citizens and others to Canadian pharmacies for lower-cost prescription drugs.

Gov. Gary Locke, a Democrat who has clashed with the Bush administration over its ban on reimporting U.S.-made drugs from Canada, announced the state's plan to defy that edict and link with Wisconsin's online access to Canadian pharmacies.

"It's not about politics — it's about taking care of our citizens," the governor told a news conference Tuesday. "It's for our citizens that we are taking matters into our own hands and fighting against the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs."

Summary Box Washington is launching a Web site that makes it easy to buy popular prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies. ISN'T IT ILLEGAL? State concedes that reimporting U.S.-made drugs violates federal drug laws. But Gov. Gary Locke says U.S. Customs officials aren't intercepting small amounts of prescription drugs intended for personal use, and the U.S. government has no problem with citizens getting flu vaccine from Canada. IS WASHINGTON ALONE? No. Wisconsin and Minnesota have similar programs, and Washington's Web site uses Wisconsin's hyperlinks to Canadian pharmacies. WHAT'S NEXT: By Dec. 1, state also will launch a retail price comparison service for the 25 most commonly used prescription drugs, including the Canadian prices.

He said he assumes the Bush administration will object, but that it's up to Washington state residents whether to avail themselves of the consumer information. The states have a strong legal basis for helping their citizens this way, he said.

By Dec. 1, the state also will launch a retail price comparison service for the 25 most commonly used prescription drugs, including the Canadian prices.

The state's Web sites, www.rx.wa.gov or www.governor.wa.gov, offer links to three Canadian pharmacies via Wisconsin's site. Locke said Wisconsin and Minnesota have checked out the companies and attest that they are "safe, reputable and reliable."

Bruce Reeves of the state Senior Citizen Lobby said Rhode Island and Vermont have similar programs.

"If they're safe for Canadians, they're safe for us," he said.

Locke said more than 700,000 Washington residents, including an estimated 210,000 seniors, don't have prescription drug coverage and have to buy at full price. They will be the most likely to benefit from buying Canadian, he said.

The first order they place will be by mail, and refills can be handled online, the governor said.

The state Web site acknowledges that reimporting U.S.-made drugs from Canada or those manufactured abroad violates federal law.

"Although there have been isolated cases where the U.S. Customs Service has intercepted prescriptions from Canada in the mail, to our knowledge the U.S. government has not stopped individual U.S. residents from buying small amounts of prescription drugs for their personal use and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has made statements to the media that they do not plan to interfere with such small individual purchases," the site says.

The Web site also includes various warnings about possible downsides of buying via Canada. But Locke's main point was that it's a decision consumers should be allowed to make.

Seniors shouldn't have to choose between paying the heat bill and getting their prescriptions filled, he said.

"It's exasperating knowing there is medicine available to assist a person who is ill, but they can't afford it," Locke said. "It would be nice if the federal government could help facilitate safe and legal drug importation from Canada instead of forcing us to take matters into our own hands."

It's ironic, he said, that the federal government now says it is acceptable for U.S. citizens to get flu vaccine from Canada, but is balking at importing other vital medicine.

Washington seniors without drug coverage spent an average of $1,190 on prescriptions last year, $520 more than those who have some form of drug coverage. An estimated 31 percent of Washington seniors 65 and older aren't covered and another 500,000 other residents don't have coverage, Locke said.

He said the federal government needs to acknowledge the nation's health care crisis and the spiraling cost of prescription drugs.

The state and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program will hold 10 community workshops, beginning in December, on how to get the best deal on prescription drugs.

The state Web site also will begin a price comparison list. In a sample released by the governor, prices were listed for the top five prescriptions. Lipitor, used for lowering cholesterol, was listed at $155 to $169 for a 90-day supply of 10 mg pills. Washington pharmacies ranged from $196 to $251.

Clifford Webster, a lobbyist representing the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, had no immediate objection to Locke's new program.

"He has essentially done a gigantic Google search for consumer, something they can already do," he said. "The devil will be in the details."

Lis Merten, Northwest regional director of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, said consumers might turn to Canadian pharmacies for cheaper name-brand drugs, but stay with their neighborhood retailer for generics.

"That could lead to continuity of care problems," with no one watching out for possible drug reactions from the various drugs the consumer is taking, she said in an interview.

The online price comparison would be difficult to keep current, she said.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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