PRINTER'S NO. 4762
No. 931 Session of 2004
INTRODUCED BY WALKO, VEON, LaGROTTA, PETRARCA, TANGRETTI, BEBKO-
JONES, CAPPELLI, CASORIO, CURRY, DeWEESE, FABRIZIO, FRANKEL,
GEORGE, GERGELY, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HERSHEY, JAMES, JOSEPHS,
KOTIK, LAUGHLIN, LEDERER, MANDERINO, MANN, McCALL, MELIO,
MUNDY, PALLONE, PISTELLA, READSHAW, REED, ROEBUCK, SAINATO,
SCRIMENTI, SHANER, SURRA, THOMAS, WASHINGTON, WHEATLEY AND
YUDICHAK, NOVEMBER 18, 2004
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS,
NOVEMBER 18, 2004
A RESOLUTION
1 Memorializing the Governor to establish a drug importation
2 program for the Commonwealth.
3 WHEREAS, The price of prescription drugs continues to
4 escalate; and
5 WHEREAS, Many prescription drugs are sold in Canada and other
6 countries for far less than what they cost in this Commonwealth;
7 and
8 WHEREAS, Pennsylvanians have purchased prescription drugs in
9 Canada as part of organized bus excursions and more recently
10 through the purchase of imported drugs via the Internet; and
11 WHEREAS, In July 2003 the House of Representatives of the
12 United States voted 243-186 in favor or facilitating
13 prescription drug importation on the national level; and
14 WHEREAS, The recently enacted Federal Medicare legislation
15 placed Federal barriers in the way of Pennsylvanians, and all
1 Americans, purchasing far less expensive but medically
2 equivalent prescription drugs from Canada and other countries;
3 and
4 WHEREAS, While the Congress of the United States is again
5 debating legislation on the importation of prescription drugs,
6 the Secretary of Health and Human Services publicly stated that
7 the President of the United States should not oppose this
8 measure; and
9 WHEREAS, Despite the Federal legislative efforts on the
10 importation of prescription drugs and expanded lobbying efforts
11 of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America to
12 prohibit the practice, a growing number of states have explored
13 the establishment of importation programs to lower their
14 prescription drug costs; and
15 WHEREAS, The Governors of Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and
16 Rhode Island have each established a task force to explore
17 prescription drug importation options; and
18 WHEREAS, The States of Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri have
19 joined together to implement an importation program developed by
20 Illinois, known as I-SaveRx, for its residents that offers safe
21 and lower-cost drugs which are state-inspected and state-
22 approved in Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland; and
23 WHEREAS, In response to public safety concerns, these states
24 are relying on licensed Canadian, British and Irish physicians
25 and pharmacists to assure that purchasers would be purchasing
26 medically reliable and safe prescription drugs; and
27 WHEREAS, Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor of Illinois, has
28 invited the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to join the I-SaveRx
29 program; and
30 WHEREAS, All Pennsylvanians would greatly benefit from the I-
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1 SaveRx prescription drug importation program; therefore be it
2 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives memorialize the
3 Governor to join the States of Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri
4 in the I-SaveRx prescription drug importation program, which
5 will include necessary public health safeguards and provide
6 much-needed financial relief to Pennsylvanians who purchase
7 prescription drugs; and be it further
8 RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
9 the Governor.
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