National Grange Continues Imported Prescription Drug Warnings
On Tuesday, June 4, the National Grange led a coalition of partners in submitting a letter to the New York State House and State Senate of “serious concern” about legislation introduced that would allow for imported prescription drugs from Canada that do not require the same oversight as medications directly imported to the U.S.
The National Grange is the primary coalition leader, spearheading the effort of more than 20 groups that have also signed onto a similar letter sent to Maine legislators who began debate on the same issue in April and Oregon legislators in March.
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Serious Concern About Imported Drugs Re: S5682 and A7588 Dear Senator Skoufis and Assemblyman Gottfried, The concept of drug importation is not a new one. State legislatures and the federal government have examined all aspects of importation for many years and always conclude that the risks greatly outweigh any benefits. With an importation measure currently being considered in your session, we are writing to express our collective concern. The U.S. drug supply is unquestionably the safest in the world because of the safeguards we have in place. ln contrast, the World Health Organization estimates that 10 percent of the drugs worldwide are counterfeit. Thus, it is no surprise that the FDA now performs 10 times more investigations than it did 20 years ago to protect us and ensure the veracity and safety of our medications. Those who support the idea often say that there is no risk if these medicines come from a “safe” country, such as Canada or select countries in the European Union. ln fact, Canadian authorities have said they are not responsible for the safety or quality of prescription drugs that are exported from Canada into the US. That is because Canadian law does not prohibit the transshipment of drugs from any country – including developing and third world countries – into Canada and then into the United States, thus underscoring our concerns about the safety and reliability of these medicines. Implementation and enforcement are costly, impractical and, in some cases, impossible. A recent report issued by the Vermont Agency of Human Services raises a concern that the program to import medicines from select pharmacies in Canada will likely come at substantial cost to the state, and operating expense may eclipse any commercial insurer savings (Wholesale Importation Program for Prescription Drugs Legislative Report). There are many reasons why counterfeit drugs have become so prevalent. The simple answer is because there is a lot of money to be made and the penalties for selling counterfeit drugs are frequently far less severe than the penalties for selling illegal drugs. Technology has made sales much easier for criminals to masquerade their location and source. Moreover, regulations in other parts of the world make documentation requirements like we have here difficult to duplicate and therefore complicate any system that is set up. With importation, there is no guarantee that drugs will be cheaper. You can, however, be certain they will be riskier. We, the undersigned, ask your reconsideration of this well-intentioned but deeply flawed, potentially dangerous idea. Signed, Allergy & Asthma Network |
