By Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino
March 1, 2004

Politics is about helping people. It is the basic obligation of every mayor. Almost every day, I talk with people who tell me how difficult it is for them to afford the prescriptions they need. I have found it increasingly hard to sit back and do nothing as the price of medicines becomes unaffordable to so many. Uninsured and underinsured consumers pay the most because they get no discounts and pay exorbitant list prices. Mayors should be concerned about these rising costs, not just for their constituents, but for their budgets as well.

Mayors around the country have contacted me to learn more about Boston's plan to purchase drugs from Canada. Other mayors, such as Peter Clavelle of Burlington (VT), are also exploring how importing medications from Canada could help their cities save money that could be used to provide important city services.

Canadians pay on average about 30 percent less for pharmaceuticals than Americans. For some medications, Canadians pay 80 percent less. Importation from Canada and other industrialized nations with similar safety regulation systems will help reduce international price disparities. Importing drugs will not solve the overall price problem by itself, but will provide needed price competition.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has the authority to make importation legal and has had this for some time. Their failure to act is unacceptable. Like it or not, Americans are getting their medicines from Canada and they are unlikely to stop. The administration can continue to tell Americans to "just say no" or can instead put in place appropriate regulations to protect citizens when they purchase needed drugs from abroad. Ignoring this practice will not make it stop and closing all access to foreign drugs will only punish those who need low priced medicines the most. The federal government should be trying to protect these most needy citizens, not penalize them.

The real issue on importation is how to structure a safer way to do it. Certification, with the introduction of new standards, will reduce the harm that Americans are currently exposed to when they purchase drugs over the Internet and through other unmanaged sources. The FDA approves the safety of tons of food brought into the U.S. each year. We must be able to find a way to import safe medicines. This should be a major issue in the upcoming elections for President, Senate, and House.

If the federal government does not act, then those of us who talk with constituents every day about real life problems will be compelled to act on our own. Boston's program is a protest to ensure that the administration no longer ignores the needs of millions of Americans. The administration must take seriously its responsibility to create a more equitable balance between developing new medicines and making those medicines affordable. I look forward to working with my fellow mayors to find solutions to the issue of affordable prescription drugs.