States Weigh Canadian Drug Imports

ATLANTA —  Ten states said Thursday they are exploring ways to buy cheap prescription drugs from Canada and make them widely available to Americans, even though importing the medicines is illegal.

Representatives from the states met with five Canadian drug companies at an Atlanta hotel Thursday to hear their pitch on how to sell the drugs safely and within the law.

The meeting comes two days after the city of Boston and the state of New Hampshire announced their intention to purchase drugs from Canada.

The states at the meeting did not suggest they would make a similar move and buy Canadian drugs without government approval.

But they want to find ways to persuade the Food and Drug Administration to allow more drug importation and eventually make it legal.

The Canadian drug companies told the state officials that they could offer dozens of drugs for as much as 40% to 60% less than they cost in the United States.

Drugs in Canada are significantly cheaper because of government price controls.

The states considering ways to bring in Canadian drugs are Illinois, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Alabama, North Carolina, Vermont, Ohio, Delaware and Louisiana. They are looking north of the border to buy prescription drugs for their employees and for people who are on Medicaid or other assistance programs.

The FDA says it cannot guarantee the safety of imported medicines and has warned states about violating the law.

Only pharmaceutical companies are allowed to bring their drugs back into the United States. Canadian drug companies sell drugs to thousands of individual Americans, but federal regulators have chosen not to prosecute the buyers.

Numerous pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer Inc. and Eli Lilly & Co., have tried to stop the flow of drugs from Canada into the United States by limiting the amount of medicines they sell north of the border.