With high drug prices rampant throughout the United States,
individual consumers, clinics and even some state governments are
turning to Canada to acquire medication at cheaper costs, despite
the illegality of such purchases.
Though there is national interest in Canadian prescription
medicine, driven by the disparity in cross-border prices, the UCLA
Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center has yet to choose
Canadian imports over U.S.-manufactured drugs due to the risks
associated with such activity.
The city of Boston and the state of New Hampshire have initiated
plans to buy cheaper drugs from Canada beginning July 1, though
government officials admit Canadian medication may not be approved
by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
In California, a bill proposed in late January by Senate
President Pro Tem John Burton would allow the state government to
contract with Canadian pharmacies when purchasing drugs for state
hospitals and prisons.
The Ashe Center purchases drugs through a wholesale buyer which
provides the cheapest medication possible, said pharmacy manager
Steven Kozel.
Through the University of California, the Ashe Center has
greater purchasing power by working with a buying group and can
obtain supply contracts for the best price, added Edward Wiesmeier,
director of the Ashe Center.
A buying group is a collection of purchasers represented by one
buyer who negotiates drug contracts based on the needs of group
participants, Kozel said.
“For medications we use in high volume, we might get a
discount,” he said. “When we have that ability, we pass
(this discount) onto the students.”
Kozel added that purchasing through a wholesaler does not
necessarily mean the Ashe Center is getting cheaper medication than
may be available at drugstores such as Longs Drugs or Rite Aid.
“Sometimes, if we can buy directly from a manufacturer,
and if it is cheaper, then we will,” he said.
Although cheaper pharmaceutical products may be available
through Canadian suppliers, Kozel said the Ashe Center does not
purchase such drugs because it is illegal to do so and there are
risk issues involved.
Medication purchased from sources outside the United States have
not been controlled by the FDA, and could potentially fail to live
up to U.S. standards.
“The Ashe Center strives to provide the highest quality
products, and right now (purchasing from Canada) might not
accomplish that,” Kozel said.
Federal law allows pharmacists and wholesalers to import
Canadian drugs only on the condition that they receive approval
from the FDA or the secretary of Health and Human Services.
But so far, any importation has been deemed risky. Tom McGinnis,
head pharmacist for the FDA, said his organization would never rely
on the assurances of their Canadian counterparts that drugs sold in
Canada are safe.
“We want to see everything with our own eyes,” he
told the Associated Press in a story published in December.
Kozel said if the FDA was to approve Canadian exports, then they
would be fair game for the Ashe Center to purchase.
“If I can assure the quality of the medication, and can
obey laws doing so, then I will consider purchasing the medication
that I can get the best price for,” he said.
With reports from Daily Bruin Wire Services.