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How safe are prescription drugs from Mexico? |
News reports have this week, alluded to the UK government pressing doctors to prescribe more "generic" drugs as opposed to the "branded" items in a bid to save money. "George" brand trainers, as opposed to Nike! The same scheme currently operates in the US, and isn't quite the success the bods tasked with saving the NHS billions every year, would have you believe. | Several states have direct links to Canadian pharmacies to ensure their citizens have access to less expensive prescription drugs, yet no state has such formal ties through Web sites or state-sponsored programs to pharmacies in Mexico.
| As a result, residents of Arizona and other Southwestern states routinely visit border towns to buy prescription drugs at large pharmacies catering to tourists.
Now, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and her counterparts on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border have floated an idea that would
|  | | scrutinize the safety of prescription drugs sold in Mexican border towns. They want to create a cross-border testing and inspection program to ensure drug safety. |
Napolitano has initiated talks with Bush administration officials on what it would take to launch such a pilot program with cooperation on both sides of the border.
Some consider it a long shot. Food and Drug Administration inspectors already are stretched thin. The state agency that oversees pharmacies in Arizona already is stretched thin. And the proposal first floated at last fall's Border Governors Conference is short on details such as funding and regulations needed to turn the idea into a reality.
Still, Napolitano's representatives are hopeful that the Southwest can create a level of cooperation similar to programs that other states have with Canadian pharmacies.
"We know that people do this, and we know it is not illegal to purchase for personal use," said Jeanine L'Ecuyer, Napolitano's spokeswoman. "The issue is, is it safe?"
The governors' proposal urges both the United States and Mexico governments to work with states and local authorities on each side of the border on a program that would promote "testing and inspection of quality of prescription drugs." The program also calls for bolstering the authority of state agencies to establish standards for pharmacies and drug manufacturers to ensure consumer safety.
The resolution endorsed by governors of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas gives no timeline on when such a program may be adopted or who will pay for it.
Prescription drug costs vary widely among nations and regions based on several factors, including economics and regulatory policies.
Several studies have shown brand-name drugs tend to be less expensive in Mexico and Canada than the United States.
Canada regulates the price of brand-name prescription drugs, helping keep costs down.
Mexican drugs tend to be less expensive because of fewer government controls and market conditions.
However, prices for some prescription drugs sold in the United States have declined as pharmaceutical companies lose patent protection and generic versions become available.
That trend is expected to continue in 2008 in the United States and Europe, with pharmaceutical sales projected to increase 4 percent to 5 percent in 2008, according to IMS Health, a pharmaceutical research company.
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