Panel hears drug import debate Wisconsin governor presses for legalization of Canadian prescriptions

BETHESDA, Md. – Wisconsin’s governor urged the government Wednesday to make it legal for Americans to fill their drug prescriptions in Canada.

Victims of counterfeit drugs warned of dire consequences if that were to happen.

They were among dozens of people who testified at the third meeting of a federal task force that is considering whether drugs can be safely imported from Canada.

“People are going to Canada whether we like it or not,” Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat, said. “They are going in bigger and bigger numbers. The simple dollars demand it.”

Wisconsin maintains a Web site that helps residents buy cheaper drugs from Canadian pharmacies. Rhode Island has linked its state-run prescription drug site to Wisconsin’s, and Washington, D.C., has asked about doing the same.

The Food and Drug Administration has criticized Doyle for putting up the Web site, saying it cannot guarantee the safety of drugs imported from Canada.

“I think that falls in the category of snake oil sales,” FDA Associate Commissioner Peter J. Pitts said.

Doyle countered: “I don’t think people getting prescription drugs from Canada consider it snake oil.”

Doyle said a 100-dose supply of the pain medication Celebrex can be purchased for $72 through the Web site, compared to the $171 the state spends to buy the same quantity.

Opponents of legalizing drug imports said it would lead to a huge increase in counterfeit drugs in this country.

Rick Roberts of San Francisco learned he was using a counterfeit anti-AIDs drug when he became aware of a stinging sensation at the injection site. He said he worried that if counterfeit drugs were to come into the United States from abroad, no one could be held responsible.