Minn. State Workers to Get Canadian Drugs

[SpabSFW]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...nadian_drugs_1

ST. PAUL - Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced Thursday a new program that will allow state employees to obtain certain prescription drugs for free if they order the medication from a state-inspected Canadian pharmacy.

The program applies to 45 of the most popular name-brand medicines that do not have generic alternatives. State officials estimate savings of $1.4 million a year because the drugs can be purchased for less in Canada.

About 120,000 employees and their dependents would be eligible. The state would cover shipping fees, along with the $15 monthly co-payments that are required for each prescription if employees buy their medicines from U.S. pharmacists.


...


Minnesota officials expect about 3,000 people to use the program in its first year. Employees would save on average about $180 each year for each medication, while the state would save about $208.

**************************

Now the deal is, the federal government pressured by drug manufacturers is trying to close the loophole that allows this. In many cases, we originally produce drugs, then sell them to other countries that charge less than we do here. In other words we absorb the research and development costs so that we can send drugs to other countries to help them out, often at below cost.

It's interesting anyway. Bet they close the loophole.

[Cd.]

Cool. Maybe if the rest of the country starts buying drugs in Canada the drug companies will stop gouging the consumers since they will have competition.

[eeper69]

It'll never happen. There's a huge American drug company lobby in Washington with lots of money to buy everyone off of this.

[Mr. Anarky]

Originally posted by eeper69
It'll never happen. There's a huge American drug company lobby in Washington with lots of money to buy everyone off of this.

My fear is that you are correct. But I do think that the only hope is for states to make the turn to Canadian drugs themselves and challenge the feds in courts about states possessing the right to make the kinds of decisons.