Senior Spotlight
By John Toscano

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has added his voice to those seeking authorization from federal officials to allow prescription drugs from Canada, which are cheaper than those sold in the United States, to be purchased by New York City seniors.

The mayor has also added his name to a petition being circulated by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich asking the Food and Drug Administration to permit Americans to buy prescription drugs from Canada.

The FDA has taken the position over the past several years that drugs coming in from Canada would not be subject to the controls of the agency’s regulatory system and could possibly have harmful or even deadly effects. The FDA has maintained this position firmly even as domestic drug prices continue to skyrocket and demand from U.S. seniors for the lower-priced Canadian products increases.

The mayor, in issuing his statement that he is pressing the FDA to relax its regulations to clear the way for Canadian drug imports, said he has always been in favor of letting the free market control the situation.

However, the mayor’s statement sounded contradictory. He was quoted as saying, "If the Canadians can produce drugs that the FDA says are effective and safe and well-labeled, then I would like to see New Yorkers being able to benefit."

But the reality is that the FDA is saying just the opposite and that’s the crux of the whole debate between those who advocate importing drugs from Canada and the FDA.

As the debate goes on, there have been staggering increases in the price of drugs sold in this country. A recent study by the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) found that New Yorkers without health insurance pay more than twice the best available market price for common prescription drugs sold in New York City. The study said uninsured New Yorkers pay twice what the U.S. government pays by buying in bulk and more than twice the price of Canadian drugs.

The Canadian drugs are purchased from the same companies that supply the American market, but Canadians buy them more cheaply because of price controls north of the border.

The mayor said he would sign on to the petition being circulated by the Illinois governor after Blagojevich said on Sunday that was going to ask the FDA to give his state special permission to buy prescription drugs from Canada for resale to Illinois state workers. Blagojevich said he could show the FDA that it would be safe for consumers and would save the state as much as $91 million a year.

Bloomberg said he wanted to look at the same option for the city health department and its hospitals. Blagojevich said he had a report that showed buying Canadian manufactured drugs was safe.

"The question is really safety, and the fact is that the study comes back and says that Canadian procedures for safety are comparable and sometimes even better. That’s a very powerful finding," Blagojevich said.

Blagojevich will present the 70-page report to the FDA on Monday. He said it was prepared by "special advocates on prescription drugs."

The FDA’s initial reaction was to repeat that the drugs from Canada are not subject to the American regulatory system.