A small group of students met in Braker Hall last night for a round-table discussion with alumnus and Massachusetts State Representative Michael Festa (LA '76) regarding the complex issues of United States prescription drug policy and reimportation from Canada.
Festa is the Representative for the Melrose-Wakefield region of Massachusetts, and serves as the House Sponsor of the Prescription Drug Price Reduction Act - a bill that proposes the creation of a Web site to provide information to consumers on how to safely purchase affordable prescription drugs from Canada.
The bill failed to pass through the House Ways and Means committee last year, but Festa plans to present it again this spring.
The bill also establishes an Office of Pharmaceutical Information within the Department of Public Health to oversee how the Web site's information is displayed to customers, according to Festa.
"This country is among the leading manufacturers of prescription drugs in the world, and it is the only country that allows its [prescription drug] users to be pushed around by pharmaceutical companies," Festa said. "In all other countries around the world that have prescription drugs, the government essentially says, 'We're not going to let you gouge our citizens,' and that is what we have to do here too."
The discussed moved to the issue of reimportation, or buying a drug from another country - Canada in most cases - that was manufactured in the United States, and then bringing it back into the United States.
According to Festa, senior citizens in this country often organize bus trips to Canada or go online to buy these drugs, which can be found at an estimated 40 to 70 percent cheaper rate than the same drug in the United States.
Many U.S. citizens, however, worry about the safety of Canadian drugs.
"One huge problem with our current [prescription drug] system is that it may actually make it more likely that seniors could get counterfeit drugs from a Web site that looks legitimate," said Festa.
As part of his propsed bill, Festa said the pharmaceutical board would license pharmacies in Canada and single out the ones that do not meet Canadian standards
Festa said that he gained key allies in the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), and on a provided handout, similar organizations such as Health Care for All and the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group (MASSPIRG) were said to be in support of his bill.
The AARP as an ally was especially important, he said, because senior citizens are the ones whose lives most often depend on prescription drugs.
According to information provided by Festa, 73 percent of respondents to an Associated Press poll said they cut back on prescription drug dosages to save money, or knew somebody in their family that did.
"It is a life-or-death issue for these people," said Festa. "They are essentially fighting for their lives."
Some companies are beginning to take notice.
On a handout provided by Festa, the AARP last year began a nationwide campaign to support reimportation. CVS and Walgreens, the nation's two largest drug stores, have begun to urge the Bush administration to develop a safe and legal channel for the reimportation of prescription drugs.
Although the Prescription Drug Price Reduction Act is a start, a long road lies ahead before the current system can demonstrate noticeable nationwide changes, Festa said.
"[This bill] alone cannot control the way the federal government handles pharmaceutical companies, because we are only representing one state out of 50. But we are working very hard to change that," he said.
The issue of reimportation has been growing significantly in recent years. Senators Edward Kennedy (D-Mass) and Trent Lott (R-Miss) have both voiced support for such legislation. The states of Minnesota and Wisconsin have set up Web sites to assist citizens in purchasing drugs safely from Canadian drug stores, according to a handout.
