Re: [graves_chat] Drug Costs

[Guest guest]

My own internist point blank told me to consider CanadaMeds

when I mentioned he had to revise some prescriptions to move

away from designer and substitute cheaper generic for the

patent drugs. I think one simply directly contacts

CanadaMeds (on line) and sets up buying directly from them

(with proof of your local prescriptions).

I have no prescription benefits, am looking now into

possibility of pharmaceutical house give-aways for low

income needy. Naturally, I would prefer give-aways based on

need to paying (if I qualify). If I don't qualify, then

Canada here I come.

I do understand US pharmaceutical houses are playing hard

ball and plan to cut off supplies to Canadian pharmacies who

sell to US residents. Strange meanness to business people.

If the person can't afford US prices, but can afford

Canadian, preventing buying in Canada isn't going to make

the person buy in the US. The person simply will go without

(and die?). I am leaving the article in below for those who

might have missed it on first go-round.

Elaine

Son, always tell the truth. Then you'll never have to

remember what you said the last time. --Sam Rayburn

Hello -Pam

On Friday, October 24, 2003, you wrote

PL> Speaking of costs !

PL> I hope our members are following the new hot topic of possible cost savings

PL> for the drugs we are required to purchase.

PL> I received this current document this morning, and it pretty well sums up

PL> the issue that has been on the table for a short while now.

PL> __________________________________________________

PL> I will also try to find out if articles from our local newspaper archives

PL> can be found and shared. Been meaning to do this . We now have a store front

PL> working this system. You take your written

PL> prescription to this store. They

PL> fax it to a pharmacy in Canada, and the

PL> prescription is mailed to you,for a

PL> $13 shipping fee.

PL> Leave it to us Oregonians to once again try to work out new ideas. We do

PL> have a track record, as some of you know. With any luck this can be a winner

PL> Only time will tell.

PL> We can only admire these store front owners for being willing to step

PL> forward and take the heat.

PL> ___________________________________________________

PL> Now here is the article I originally spoke of:

PL> ---------------------------------------------------------------

PL> Action on Drug Reimportation Moves to States: A Newsmaker Interview With

PL> Osberg, Minnesota Department of Human Services

PL> Cathy Tokarski

PL> Oct. 23, 2003 — Editor's Note: Joining a growing chorus of state officials

PL> distressed by skyrocketing prices of drugs their

PL> constituents need but can't

PL> afford, Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R, Minn.) announced a plan last week to help

PL> Minnesotans buy U.S.-manufactured brand-name drugs from Canadian pharmacies.

PL> Federal law prohibits consumers from bringing

PL> foreign drugs into the U.S.,

PL> and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

PL> Commissioner Mark McClellan, MD,

PL> has warned of the " potentially injurious " effect of allowing the purchase of

PL> drugs whose safety and efficacy have not been

PL> approved by the federal agency

PL> Nonetheless, governors in Illinois, Maine, Vermont, and, most recently,

PL> Minnesota, are pursuing this option as legalization of drug reimportation

PL> gets bogged down in the Medicare prescription drug benefit still under way

PL> in Congress. Both the U.S. House and Senate passed separate drug

PL> reimportation bills this summer; the Senate bill would allow reimportation

PL> into the U.S. from Canada only.

PL> Under the Minnesota proposal, the state's

PL> Department of Human Services would

PL> develop a Web site that would list the prices for specific brand-name drugs

PL> at selected Canadian pharmacies. The state would

PL> also negotiate drug prices

PL> with pharmacies that meet safety criteria, although individuals, not the

PL> state, would purchase the drugs directly from the pharmacy. Initially, the

PL> program would be available to residents who are uninsured, covered by

PL> Medicare, or who do not have prescription drug coverage.

PL> Medscape's Cathy Tokarski spoke to Osberg, MA, the state's assistant

PL> commissioner of healthcare, about the proposed reimportation program.

PL> Medscape: What prompted Gov. Pawlenty to develop this plan?

PL> Mr. Osberg: As he looked at the reasons and factors for increasing

PL> healthcare costs, drug costs are the major issue, as they are for everyone.

PL> [The governor] reviewed the work of a task force

PL> that was led by [former U.S

PL> ] Senator Dave Durenberger, and pharmaceutical

PL> costs were one of the driving

PL> factors identified in rising health costs.

PL> Medscape: When do you expect the program to be up and running?

PL> Mr. Osberg: There's no time frame. We're hoping early next year, when the

PL> Web site will be up and running. But we also need to have arrangements with

PL> pharmacies in Canada in place. We have to identify the pharmacies for

PL> negotiating the prices, so the Web site would

PL> reflect the rates that we've

PL> negotiated.

PL> Medscape: What steps do you need to take to make this happen?

PL> Mr. Osberg: The Web site will provide information and instructions on how

PL> [consumers] can order drugs from Canada — we won't order or dispense drugs.

PL> We would negotiate the arrangements by which

PL> individuals would purchase

PL> drugs. The state will negotiate prices with the

PL> pharmacies. We'll be looking

PL> at the prices based on our discussions with pharmacies [that now fill

PL> prescriptions] for the Minnesota Senior Federation.

PL> Medscape: How will the state ensure the credibility and reputations of the

PL> Canadian pharmacies that will fill these prescriptions?

PL> Mr. Osberg: We would look at the regulatory

PL> compliance provisions of the

PL> pharmacies in each province. We will make sure that the pharmacies meet all

PL> of the criteria of the regulatory requirements. We have already looked at

PL> the criteria of the [provinces'] boards of

PL> pharmacy, and we can tell it is

PL> very similar to what we have in the U.S. We will

PL> look at a number of sources

PL> to determine which pharmacies we will select.

PL> Our number-one concern is the safety of the drugs

PL> [being dispensed] and that

PL> there is delivery of that drug on a timely basis to the person who orders it

PL> Another factor is cost. Safety, access, logistics, and costs are the key

PL> factors we'll be looking at.

PL> Medscape: What kind of discounts on drugs will the state be able to offer?

PL> Mr. Osberg: The Web site will have a list of prices for brand-name drugs.

PL> There could be multiple pharmacies that sell the

PL> drug. The transaction will

PL> take place between the consumer and the pharmacy. We haven't done any price

PL> estimates yet, but based on the arrangements the

PL> Minnesota Senior Federation

PL> has, we've heard 50% off the brand-name drug.

PL> Medscape: You're aware of the criticisms that this and other proposals to

PL> reimport drugs from Canada have received from the

PL> FDA, from pharmacists, and

PL> from the drug industry. How do you respond to the specific criticism of

PL> safety problems?

PL> Mr. Osberg: Safety is our number-one issue. We

PL> would not do this unless we

PL> were very sure of the safety of the drugs that are being sold. We are very

PL> comfortable with the experience that our senior

PL> federation has had. Canadian

PL> pharmacies have filled about 4,000 prescriptions a month, and not one safety

PL> issue has come up.

PL> Number two, we're very comfortable with the

PL> Canadian regulatory organization

PL> [which] is similar to the FDA in this country. They have very good

PL> provisions related to the safety of these drugs. There is just no evidence

PL> that we've seen that there is a safety problem.

PL> We'll continue our analysis

PL> and make sure that arrangements are put into place to oversee safety. We

PL> would not jeopardize the safety of our citizens.

PL> Medscape: How many people do you think will take advantage of this program

PL> when it's up and running?

PL> Mr. Osberg: It remains to be seen now many people would use this. We're

PL> talking initially about those people who don't have insurance coverage or

PL> who have significant out-of-pocket expenses for brand-name drugs. The

PL> uninsured, people on Medicare, or people who have

PL> insurance coverage but don

PL> t have drug coverage. In Minnesota, the number of

PL> uninsured is approximately

PL> 250,000 to 300,000 people.

PL> Stage two, if we get into the business of

PL> purchasing drugs on behalf of our

PL> state employees, state hospitals, or maybe Medicaid public health programs,

PL> maybe this could become a vehicle for the private sector. Also, it would be

PL> a function of further logistical analysis of how this works on a broader

PL> scale and a function of what arrangements the FDA and Congress make because

PL> of legalization of reimportation.

PL> Medscape: Has the governor had any discussions with U.S. Department of

PL> Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy

PL> about this plan?

PL> Mr. Osberg: We are having some discussions with the federal government, with

PL> [HHS] Secretary and Congress about what it would take for them to

PL> be comfortable with going ahead with the

PL> reimportation of drugs. We've not

PL> heard any official word back, but they're open to discussing this further.

PL> We're also hoping to play a role in demonstrating

PL> that this can be done in a

PL> safe and cost-effective way.

PL> Medscape: Is this the best solution to the problem we're facing of rising

PL> drug costs?

PL> Mr. Osberg: The best solution is to have reasonable prices in the U.S.

PL> available from our drug companies.

PL> Reviewed by D. Vogin, MD

PL> Cathy Tokarski is site editor of Medscape Money & Medicine.

PL> Medscape Medical News is edited by Deborah Flapan, assistant managing editor

PL> of news at Medscape. Send press releases and

PL> comments to news@....

PL> Medscape Medical News 2003. © 2003 Medscape

PL>

[Guest guest]

Good Job Elaine M !

Found the link:

http://www.canadameds.com/

Found one example:

..025 Synthroid $23.81 bottle of 100

Shipping $13.00

____

total $36.81

Last best price here $41.19

I seems the shipping fee covers more than one item, so grouping an order

would certainly start adding up the savings.

And the fact that Synthroid is not that high of a ticket item, this

certainly is a find.

Unfortunately they do not seem to handle my most expensive drug. Oh well.

Thank you so much,

-Pam L- glad she started this topic :-)