New Yorkers could be popping cheaper Canadian prescription drugs if proposed bill succeeds

A bill headed to New York state legislators early next year could lead the way toward legal importation of certain prescription medications from Canada, potentially saving state residents — particularly seniors — significant cost, proponents say.

If the New York Rx Importation Bill S.9838, sponsored by State Sen. James Skoufis of Cornwall, New York, (also known as Assembly Bill A7954) becomes law, it would follow in the footsteps of a similar bill in Florida, which in January became the first state to gain Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its plan to import. 

Passing a similar state law opened the door for Florida in creating a plan to import some prescription medications from Canada to ensure they are proven to be less expensive, safe and equal in effectiveness to those sold by American pharmaceutical manufacturers. And in January, the FDA approved Florida’s state importation plan.

The same first step would apply in New York, if the bill becomes law.

During the state’s past few New York legislative sessions, the bill was overwhelmingly passed by the Senate, but has yet to be voted on by the Assembly, having been tabled in the waning days of recent legislative sessions.

Several studies have shown that retail level prices in the United States are higher than other countries. One recent study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office of 20 brand-name drugs found that prices here were two to four times higher than prices in Austria, Canada and France.

When looking at Canada, Americans paid over two times as much and higher, the study found.

Staten Island’s state Assembly members Charles D. Fall (D-North Shore-Battery Park), Michael Reilly (R-South Shore ) and Michael Tannousis (R-East Shore/South Brooklyn) said they would likely support the bill, but wanted more details examined.

Sam Pirozzolo (R-Mid Island) said the same, that he’s all for citizens saving money of prescription medication, and he’s likely to vote yes, but he’s got a few questions he’d need answered first.

“The one thing this bill does not say is what percent of savings there would be, and what percentage will be passed on to the consumer,” Pirozzolo said. “If ... wholesalers will save 50%, does that mean I’ll save 50% and the savings is passed on to me, or will it be the wholesalers will save 40% and I’ll save 10%?”

And, our nation’s relationships with other countries must be considered, though Canada has always been a good neighbor. “What if Canada says ‘we’re not going to make their drugs anymore?,”’ he asked.

The issue of safety, he said, is also paramount. “It’s nice when you say it on paper that the drugs will be just as safe, but, in reality, who is doing the inspections? Is there a possibility of cross-contamination? Their pharmaceutical companies may not work the way our pharmaceutical companies work.”

Tannousis said he’d support the bill “as long as there are measures put in place to ensure that the quality of these prescriptions are as high as they are in the U.S.”

“The increasingly high cost of prescription drugs has made life expensive ... especially for our seniors‚’’ he added.