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Governor to limit state business with 5 drug companies
Gov. Rod Blagojevich showed his disapproval of U.S. drug companies limiting supplies to Canada when he announced last week the state would look into alternative drug supply options.
Blagojevich said he believes five major drug companies ˜ AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and Wyeth ˜ have attempted to stop American consumers from crossing the border to purchase their drugs.
Abby Ottenhoff, spokeswoman for Blagojevich, said the governor hopes to send a clear message to drug companies: you cannot cheat consumers in Illinois.
"He wants the companies to know that they can't muscle our consumers and cut off one of the few options for a lot of people who need to find lower-price drugs," Ottenhoff said. "This is the governor's way of letting them know that we're not going to just sit back and let them treat consumers the way they are."
The governor asked the Pharmacy and Therapeutics committees from 12 state- sponsored managed programs to find alternative drugs for those provided by those companies.
In addition to the nine managed programs, there is a non-managed care plan that serves both state and retired employees. The alternative drugs will be provided at the lowest co-payment price, while the brand-name drugs made by the companies that restrict Canadian sales will be offered at the highest co-payment level.
The Illinois Department of Corrections and the Illinois Department of Human Services have preferred drug lists as well. Drugs replaced by safe alternatives will not be covered unless the physician gets approval from the health plan.
The committees must report their alternative suggestions to the two-member task force appointed by the governor within 45 days. The task force will then make a final decision on which drugs will be replaced.
The U.S. Senate passed a new Medicare drug package with a 55-44 vote, and President George W. Bush has vowed to sign the legislation into law, which will be the first makeover the program has seen since it was created almost 40 years ago.
Beginning next year, seniors can save anywhere from 10 percent to 25 percent on prescription drugs purchased with the new prescription drug card. The cards would be in use until 2006 when a long-term plan goes into effect.
Illinois announced a similar prescription-buying club this summer that will save seniors, regardless of their income bracket, at least 20 percent on prescription drug costs.
Ottenhoff said the governor was very disappointed the U.S. House did not pass a previous version of the Medicare bill, which included a provision for importing drugs, and will continue to lobby for lower-cost prescription drugs.
"We're very excited about being able to offer seniors some much-needed help, but in the long run, this doesn't address the fact that we are still paying the highest drug prices in the world," she said. "That's the heart of the problem. And the new Medicare bill fails to address that."
