• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

American Medical Association Approves Importing of Drugs

Posted on: Tuesday, 7 December 2004, 12:00 CST

ATLANTA -- The American Medical Association on Monday gave its conditional support to broader importation of prescription drugs, a move supporters say will put added pressure on the Food and Drug Administration to allow cheaper medicines to be safely brought into the U.S.

For the first time, the largest U.S. doctor group, with a quarter of a million member physicians, is now on record supporting the controversial practice -- but only with key conditions, including a requirement that the FDA approve the imported drugs. In addition, the AMA said its support depends on Congress giving federal regulators the resources to ensure "authenticity and integrity" of medicine coming in from abroad.

The overwhelming approval by the AMA's 545-member policymaking House of Delegates at its annual meeting in Atlanta puts the Chicago-based group's considerable lobbying clout behind federal legislation aimed at clearing the way for importation.

So far, the FDA has blocked importation, largely over the issue of safety. As it stands, neither outgoing Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, a Republican, nor his Democratic predecessor under President Clinton, Donna Shalala, had been willing to certify that drugs imported from other countries are safe.

Several states, including Illinois, have bucked federal policy and set up initiatives to safely import prescription drugs.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich's I-Save Rx importation plan has enrolled more than 1,400 Illinois residents who can save money on their prescriptions by using selected British or Canadian pharmacies that have agreed to comply with Illinois regulations and inspections by state health officials. I-Save Rx was launched two months ago.

"The nation's doctors are essentially asking the FDA to do for all Americans what Gov. Blagojevich has done for all Illinois residents," Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said of the AMA's vote.

Opponents of importation say they remain skeptical of the process as a solution to making prescription drugs more affordable.

"We are still convinced that importation is too riddled with problems to pursue," said Jeff Trewhitt, spokesman for the drug industry lobby, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. "Even its advocates concede that imported drugs are not a good long-term solution."

-----

To see more of the Chicago Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.chicagotribune.com.

(c) 2004, Chicago Tribune. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: Chicago Tribune

More News in this Category