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Last fall, Gov. Blagojevich released
the results of a comprehensive study he commissioned on the savings
and feasibility of importing prescription drugs from Canada for
Illinois' 230,000-member employee and retiree health plan. The study
found that the state and its health plan participants could save a
combined $90.7 million a year. In late December, Blagojevich asked
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson to allow Illinois
to work with HHS and the FDA to launch the nation's first pilot drug
importation program. The secretary has not yet responded to
Illinois' request.
Earlier this year, Gov. Pawlenty
unveiled a first-in-the-nation website that enables Minnesota
citizens to purchase prescription medicines directly from Canadian
pharmacies. The site,
www.MinnesotaRxConnect.com, enables Minnesotans to have their
prescriptions filled at one of two Canadian pharmacies that have
been inspected and assessed by the state of Minnesota. Since its
launch in January, the site has received more than 35,000 hits. The
next phase for Minnesota includes providing incentives to state
employees to purchase their prescriptions through the new website
and urging federal changes to enable states to use bulk importation
so citizens can purchase lower priced medicines through their local
pharmacists.
The Governors' Prescription Drug Summit
will be conducted following the National Governors Association
winter meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 24, in Washington, D.C. The summit
will be in Commerce Hearing Room 253 of the Russell Senate Office
Building and is scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. All activities are open to
the press.
The summit is intended to give the
nation's governors -- many of whom are exploring importation as a
cost-savings option -- an opportunity to share ideas and get
information about safety concerns that have been raised by opponents
to importation.
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Schedule
for Governors' Prescription Drug Summit
2 p.m. --
Opening news conferences, featuring all governors in attendance
2:30 p.m.
-- Hearing on reimportation of prescription medicines from Canada
Participating governors will listen to
testimony of expert panels and will have the opportunity to ask
questions.
The following people have been invited
to participate in the congressional panel: Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.;
Sen. Byron L. Dorgan, D-N.D.; Rep. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; Rep. Gil
Gutknecht, R-Minn.; and Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill.
The following individuals and
organizations have been invited to participate in the opponent
panel:
Secretary of Health and Human Services
Tommy Thompson; Food and Drug Administration; National Association
of Manufacturers; Pharmaceutical Research and Manufactureres of
American; Mr. Carmen Catizone, executive director, National Boards
of Pharmacy
The following individuals have been
invited to participate in the proponent panel: Andy Troszok, Total
Care Pharmacy, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Steven W. Schondelmeyer,
Pharm.D., Ph.D., University of Minnesota; and Michal J. Albano,
former mayor of Springfield, Mass.
4 p.m. --
Closing remarks
All of the nation's governors have been
invited to participate. Confirmed participants include Minnesota
Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D), Wisconsin
Gov. Jim Doyle (D), West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise (D) and Alabama Gov.
Bob Riley (R).
More
information on what both governors are doing to bring down
prescription drug costs can be found at
www.governor.state.mn.us
(Minnesota) and
www.illinois.gov/gov (Illinois).
[News release from the
governors
of Illinois and Minnesota]
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