Posted At Detroit News

By: Associated Press

LANSING -- State House Democrats say Michigan residents could save big on prescription drugs if the state joins a program letting them purchase medicines from Canada and other countries.

Democrats planned to announce legislation today that would allow Michigan to get into the I-SaveRx program, which helps individuals buy about 150 brand-name medications at a lower price because the drugs are shipped from outside the United States.

Rep. Marie Donigan, a Democrat from Royal Oak who is sponsoring the legislation, blamed pharmaceutical companies for charging too much for drugs in the U.S. and said it is shameful that some seniors cannot afford needed medications.

"We need to put people ahead of the drug companies' profits," Donigan told The Associated Press during a telephone interview.

Donigan and other Democrats were scheduled to announce their legislation at stops throughout Macomb, Oakland and Genesee counties.

The drug-import program I-SaveRx was launched by Illinois and Wisconsin last year and now includes Kansas, Missouri and Vermont.

Those states contract with a Canadian clearinghouse that connects residents with pharmacies Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

The program allows consumers to buy drugs online or by phone that are 25 to 50 percent less expensive than those sold in the United States.

The process is known as reimportation because many of the drugs are made in this country.

I-SaveRx is limited to refills on brand-name drugs that treat chronic or long-term conditions. Generic medications and medicines that can spoil during shipping, such as insulin, are not covered.

There is no cost to join I-SaveRx, but residents pay a 1.5 percent fee that is included in the total price of a prescription.

The money -- in addition to fees owed by international pharmacies -- pays for safety inspections and other administrative costs.

Donigan's legislation likely will have difficulty in the Republican-controlled House.

Jason Brewer, a spokesman for Republican House Speaker Craig DeRoche of Novi, said the plan would wrongly put Michiganians' prescription drug needs in the hands of other countries.

He said it is more difficult to regulate drugs shipped from outside the United States.

"You're really opening up Michigan consumers to risk," he said.

"At the end of the day, you don't know for sure where these drugs were manufactured."

But Donigan said the drugs are safe and are the same ones U.S. drugmakers are shipping out.

Illinois regulators inspected the foreign pharmacies that participate in I-SaveRx to ensure they complied with state pharmaceutical standards.

So far, business has been slow for the small but growing number of state-run drug import programs.

I-SaveRx, which started in October, had processed less than 11,000 orders as of July.

Nationwide last year, 22 million free prescriptions were filled through assistance programs involving U.S. drug manufacturers.

The Bush administration opposes importation of drugs from Canada and other countries, arguing that the practice is unsafe.

Importing drugs into the United States is technically illegal, but the Food and Drug Administration generally does not stop small amounts purchased for personal use.