Drug industry official derides import idea

Thursday, January 13th 2005, 2:57 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A former member of Parliament in Canada who's now a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry says importing cheaper drugs from Canada should not be considered a solution to high drug costs in the US.

Chris Ward says Canada's supply of drugs isn't big enough to meet the needs of the United States and he says Canadian officials will take steps to protect those supplies.

Ward also says just because a drug is bought from Canada doesn't mean it's been approved by Canada's equivalent of the US Food and Drug Administration. He says the drugs could be counterfeit and made in Asia.

Governor Brad Henry told The Associated Press last month his legislative agenda will include a plan to lower the cost of prescription drugs and has said he's looking at what other states are doing. He says that includes reimporting prescription drugs from Canada and other countries.