Blagojevich Delivers Cheap Drugs

By Margaret Lyons in News on Oct 5, 2004 7:54PM

Governor Blagojevich officially launched the I-SaveRx prescription drug re-importation plan yesterday at a press conference. The plan allows consumers in Illinois and Wisconsin to enroll over the phone or at www.i-saverx.net and then compare pricing and buy drugs from a variety of state inspected and approved pharmacies in Canada, Ireland and the UK. Blagojevich has lobbied the FDA for a year for approval to import drugs from Canada, but has been denied. While in a sense I-SaveRx is quite an "eff you" to the FDA, Blagojevich mentioned that the FDA has not prosecuted states with web sites that connect citizens with pharmacies in Canada, which, in effect he says, gives his plan the go ahead.

Other states already offer access to pharmacies in Canada, but the Illinois plan is the first to give citizens access to drugs in both Canada and Europe.

The FDA does not encourage the importation of perscription drugs because they say they, "are often of unknown quality with inadequate directions for use and may pose a risk to the patient's health." They also cite concerns over counterfeit drugs imported from overseas.

Blagojevich did not mention what pharmacies will provide the medications and the pharmacies over seas aren't talking for fear of retribution from drug companies. We called the I-SaveRx hotline and asked if, after we've enrolled and ordered a medication, we'd ever know what pharmacy provided the drugs. The answer was "no".

Now, drugs are too expensive. So big-up to the Gov for trying to help, but not allowing the public to know what pharmacies provide the drugs puts a lot of trust in the State. Hopefully journalists will eventually find out where the drugs are coming from and assure us that they're safe. While importation works for now, shouldn't we find a way to make them less expensive here in the United States? You may hear about it at tonight's VP debates or Friday's presidential townhall Q and A session.
(All together now: Thanks, Sam!)