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Missouri is the third state to
join the program developed by Illinois. When the program was
launched earlier this month, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle announced that
his state would participate. I-SaveRx will provide more than 23
million residents in the three states with access to lower-priced
prescription drugs through a network of 45 inspected and approved
pharmacies and wholesalers in Canada, the United Kingdom and
Ireland. Consumers in Missouri, Wisconsin and Illinois can look up
I-SaveRx prices and start the enrollment process by calling
toll-free 1 (866) ISAVE33 or visiting
www.I-SaveRx.net.
"Americans have been crying out for
relief from the outrageous cost of prescription medications," said
Gov. Blagojevich. "They know they're being gouged by the drug
companies. We've waited and waited for the FDA and leaders in
Congress to help our citizens, but they continue to stall and make
excuses. In the meantime, more than 1 million Americans have figured
out how to get their medications for significantly less from Canada.
Through I-SaveRx, we're putting important safeguards in place so
more people can take advantage of lower prices in Canada and Europe
without compromising safety. Already, more than 17,000 people in
Illinois and Wisconsin have called or gone online to get I-SaveRx
information and enrollment forms. Today we're extending that
opportunity to Missouri's 5.7 million residents."
"In just three weeks, three states
have joined a prairie fire that is building around the country,"
said Emanuel, the Illinois congressman who joined in the
announcement. "I welcome Governor Holden as this movement builds for
affordable prescription drugs,"
"I am confident this is a system
that offers both safety and savings," said Gov. Holden, D-Missouri.
"It relies only on pharmacies that have passed a rigorous
inspection, and Illinois has done an outstanding job of researching
and providing appropriate oversights. The federal government's
refusal to stand up to the drug companies has penalized our citizens
for too long. This program that will help Missourians, and it will
also help force a change in drug policies in this country."
Gov. Blagojevich launched I-SaveRx
on Oct. 4 and extended an invitation to other states to join the
program. Participants in the I-SaveRx plan can save an average of 25
percent to 50 percent on the cost of the most common medications
used to treat chronic conditions. For instance, a three-month supply
of the drug Lipitor in 20 mg doses, which is used to treat high
cholesterol, costs an average of $282 in the United States but is
available through I-SaveRx for $180 from Ireland, $194 from the
United Kingdom and $203 from Canada, plus the $15 shipping charge
per order. A three-month supply of Celebrex in 100 mg doses, used to
treat arthritis pain, costs $178 in the United States but only $84
in Ireland, $84 in the United Kingdom and $82 in Canada, plus
shipping.
The program connects users to the I-SaveRx
clearinghouse, administered by CanaRx, through the website or
toll-free telephone number. The clearinghouse provides users with
information on the list of medications included in the program,
prices in each of the three countries, and enrollment forms and
guidance. Consumers can enjoy one-stop shopping rather than
contacting numerous pharmacies to gather information and compare
prices.
 Before ordering, new enrollees must
mail or have their doctor fax a completed health profile form and
signed prescription to the clearinghouse. Once the clearinghouse has
received the prescription and health profile form, it will conduct
an initial scan for appropriateness, using the same drug interaction
software used in Illinois pharmacies. If the prescription passes the
interaction test, it will then be turned over to a network physician
in the country from which the medication will be dispensed. The
network physician will review and rewrite the prescription for a
local network pharmacy, and the pharmacy will perform a final safety
check to comply with local laws and
regulations before dispensing the medication.
The I-SaveRx import program builds
in numerous safety measures to ensure the quality and safety of
drugs dispensed. The list of available drugs is limited to those
that are used for long periods of time and that cannot spoil during
the shipping process. Consumers can order eligible drugs for refill
only, so patients and their doctors have had time to review for
unanticipated side-effects or interactions. All network pharmacies
agree to comply with Illinois pharmaceutical standards and to
dispense only drugs that are intended as domestic product in Canada,
Ireland or the United Kingdom -- meaning the pharmacies cannot
dispense prescription drugs from countries that are not part of the
program to I-SaveRx consumers.
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While all residents of Illinois,
Wisconsin and Missouri are eligible to enroll in I-SaveRx, the
states are focusing their promotional efforts on reaching people who
do not have prescription drug coverage -- estimated at more
than 5 million individuals in the three states combined. Of that
total, older citizens have the greatest need for relief. According
to the Center for Policy Alternatives, one out of every five senior
citizens takes at least five prescription medications daily. Last
year, the prices of the 30 prescription drugs used most by senior
citizens rose more than four times faster than the rate of
inflation, according to Families USA.
Since launching I-SaveRx, Gov.
Blagojevich has embarked on an aggressive outreach campaign,
visiting more than a dozen Illinois senior centers and explaining
the new program to seniors. In addition, the departments of Aging
and Public Health are reaching out to seniors and physicians
throughout the state to spread information about the program and
enrollment procedures.
I-SaveRx is the culmination of a
year of research and work. Last fall, the governor sent a team of
experts to Canada to study the effects of importing prescription
drugs from that country. The group reported that importing
prescription drugs from Canada is not only safe, but in some cases,
even safer than purchasing prescription drugs here in the United
States. The governor and his experts then traveled to Washington,
D.C., to share the results of their study with other experts and
leaders around the country. The team from Illinois met with members
of Congress and officials from the FDA and the Department of Health
and Human Services.
In December, Emanuel joined Gov.
Blagojevich in asking the federal government for a special waiver to
launch a pilot program to import prescription drugs from Canada.
After weeks of waiting for a response, the governor helped organize
a class-action lawsuit to give senior citizens across the nation the
same opportunities that senior citizens in states bordering Canada
have to purchase cheaper prescription drugs.
In May, Gov. Blagojevich dispatched
a delegation made up of members of his staff, the Office of Special
Advocates for Prescription Drugs, and the departments of Public
Health and Professional Regulation to research whether Illinois
could look to Europe for safe and affordable prescription drugs.
The Illinois delegation met with
representatives from governments, pharmacies, wholesalers, parallel
importers, health and insurance funds, and professional and trade
associations in Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands
and the United Kingdom. They methodically assessed pharmacy
practices, manufacturing practices, warehousing and storage, and
distribution and dispensing processes and compared them with
Illinois standards and practices. The delegation concluded that
Illinois could establish a network of foreign pharmacies that would
meet state standards and provide safe medications at much lower
prices.
In August, the governor released the
report of the European study, the findings of which closely mirror
those of the Canadian study. The experts found that Illinois
consumers could save money by buying their medications from European
pharmacies and could obtain safe prescription drugs equivalent in
every way to the medications they purchase in the United States.
The I-SaveRx plan creators used the
findings from both the Canadian and European reports to design a
system that helps Illinois, Wisconsin and now Missouri residents
obtain prescription drugs at significant discounts from safe,
regulated sources abroad.
[News release from the
governor's office] |
