Drug import plan would be costly - U.S. officials

[Guest guest]

Drug import plan would be costly - U.S. officials

Last Updated: 2004-05-21 14:43:55 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Richwine

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government would need to spend hundreds

of millions of dollars if prescription drug importation was made legal

to make sure the medicines are safe, a health official told lawmakers on

Thursday.

The Food and Drug Administration would have to hire more inspectors to

visit exporting pharmacies and check millions of packages coming into

U.S. mail facilities, said , FDA associate commissioner for

regulatory affairs.

" Our current estimates are we are talking about hundreds of millions of

dollars to...ensure the safety of products coming into the U.S., "

said at a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

Committee.

With politicians hearing complaints about high drug costs, the idea of

easing import restrictions has been gaining strength among Republicans

and Democrats, despite strong opposition from the pharmaceutical

industry. The House of Representatives passed an importation bill last

year.

The FDA is working on a cost estimate for a bipartisan bill circulating

in the Senate that calls for safeguards to prevent fake or dangerous

drugs from getting into the country. The price tag could exceed $1

billion in the first year, Hubbard, FDA associate commissioner

for policy and planning, said in an interview.

A growing number of Americans already are buying medicines from Canada

and other countries, even though the practice is illegal. Prices abroad

can be more than 50 percent cheaper.

Sen. Judd Gregg, a New Hampshire Republican who chairs the Senate health

committee, said he planned to introduce legislation for a legal

importation system next month.

FDA officials have warned Americans that buying medicines from foreign

sources, particularly over the Internet, is risky. Patients cannot be

sure where their medicines originate and whether they are safe and

effective, the FDA says.

Democrats at the Senate hearing told FDA officials they needed to find a

way to facilitate safe imports.

" We can't keep doing business the way we have done. We need a new

system, " said Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a New York Democrat. " It's

not fair any longer " for Americans to pay higher drug prices than people

in other countries, she said.

The drug industry is facing a challenge in trying to convince lawmakers

that importation is too dangerous, said Jeff Trewhitt, a spokesman for

the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

" It's an election year and people are looking for quick fixes, " Trewhitt

said.

Improving access to medicines " is too complex a problem for quick

fixes. "

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org