US governor plans to import cheaper drugs from Australia and New Zeala
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《英国医生杂志》
A report prepared for the Illinois governor has recommended importing personal prescription drugs from Australia and over the counter drugs from New Zealand as part of a programme facilitating access to cheaper drugs for US citizens.
The report by the Office of the Special Advocate for Prescription Drugs for the Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich, assessed which drugs could be sourced from Australia and New Zealand for inclusion in the scheme.
Under the I-SaveRx scheme, refill prescriptions drafted by American doctors in Illinois, Wisconsin, Kansas, Missouri, and Vermont residents are written and filled via doctors in Canada, Ireland, and Britain.
The programme, which was launched in October 2004, reports that 14 600 citizens from the four states have enrolled in the programme with more than 10 000 orders placed yielding "average savings of between 25% and 50%."
Facing the prospect of the Canadian government banning the export of prescription drugs to the United States, I-SaveRx is investigating potential supply options from other English speaking countries with a well regulated drug industry.
The report stated that as only 40 of the 205 drugs included in the programme would not be available from Australia, "customers would enjoy continued access to most medications currently offered by the Illinois programme."
Based on a sample of 78 prescription drugs, the report estimates that sourcing the drugs from Australia would save participants 50.7% over US prices.
Although the report recommends expanding sourcing drugs from Australia, the president of the Australian Medical Association, Mukesh Haikerwal, was cautious about the proposal.
"We can understand why it is being done. But, even if it is legal, there is still a responsibility on a doctor to act in the best medical interests of the patient," he said. "Crucial to fulfilling that responsibility would be a good understanding of the patient and their treatment options . . . Before it could proceed we would need to look at in much more detail," Dr Haikerwal said.
Dr Haikerwal also flagged that doctors would need to be assured that both the state based medical boards, which register doctors, and medical indemnity insurers approved of doctors rewriting prescriptions for patients who they had not actually met.
A spokeswoman for the Therapeutic Goods Administration, the Australian government drug regulator, acknowledged that exporting personal prescription drugs would not be illegal "but may contravene individual state or territory regulations governing prescribing."
Because of concerns expressed by Medsafe, the New Zealand government drug regulator, over whether it would be legal for New Zealand doctors to rewrite prescriptions for patients that they had not seen, the report recommends that only 30 over the country drugs be sourced for the programme.
Medsafe抯 spokesman Derek Fitzgerald said that the agency was currently reviewing I-SaveRx抯 revised proposal.(Canberra Bob Burton)
The report by the Office of the Special Advocate for Prescription Drugs for the Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich, assessed which drugs could be sourced from Australia and New Zealand for inclusion in the scheme.
Under the I-SaveRx scheme, refill prescriptions drafted by American doctors in Illinois, Wisconsin, Kansas, Missouri, and Vermont residents are written and filled via doctors in Canada, Ireland, and Britain.
The programme, which was launched in October 2004, reports that 14 600 citizens from the four states have enrolled in the programme with more than 10 000 orders placed yielding "average savings of between 25% and 50%."
Facing the prospect of the Canadian government banning the export of prescription drugs to the United States, I-SaveRx is investigating potential supply options from other English speaking countries with a well regulated drug industry.
The report stated that as only 40 of the 205 drugs included in the programme would not be available from Australia, "customers would enjoy continued access to most medications currently offered by the Illinois programme."
Based on a sample of 78 prescription drugs, the report estimates that sourcing the drugs from Australia would save participants 50.7% over US prices.
Although the report recommends expanding sourcing drugs from Australia, the president of the Australian Medical Association, Mukesh Haikerwal, was cautious about the proposal.
"We can understand why it is being done. But, even if it is legal, there is still a responsibility on a doctor to act in the best medical interests of the patient," he said. "Crucial to fulfilling that responsibility would be a good understanding of the patient and their treatment options . . . Before it could proceed we would need to look at in much more detail," Dr Haikerwal said.
Dr Haikerwal also flagged that doctors would need to be assured that both the state based medical boards, which register doctors, and medical indemnity insurers approved of doctors rewriting prescriptions for patients who they had not actually met.
A spokeswoman for the Therapeutic Goods Administration, the Australian government drug regulator, acknowledged that exporting personal prescription drugs would not be illegal "but may contravene individual state or territory regulations governing prescribing."
Because of concerns expressed by Medsafe, the New Zealand government drug regulator, over whether it would be legal for New Zealand doctors to rewrite prescriptions for patients that they had not seen, the report recommends that only 30 over the country drugs be sourced for the programme.
Medsafe抯 spokesman Derek Fitzgerald said that the agency was currently reviewing I-SaveRx抯 revised proposal.(Canberra Bob Burton)