5 U.S. states add offshore drug suppliers

CHICAGO, July 19 (UPI) -- A coalition of five U.S. state governments have added Australia and New Zealand as offshore drug suppliers, joining Canada, Britain and Ireland.

The I-SaveRx program was created by Illinois and Wisconsin last October as a way to save money by importing prescription drugs. Kansas, Missouri and Vermont have since joined the group.

Announcing the addition of the Pacific countries to the supplier list, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said it was unrealistic to expect Canada to remain the principle supplier of medication.

"The drug companies and their allies are turning up the heat in Canada, which has been the primary point of purchase for millions of Americans," he said.

Ken Johnson, senior vice president of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the industry trade group, told The New York Times he opposed any import plan.

"Expanding the program to include Australia and New Zealand provides no assurances to American patients that the imported medicines won't, in fact, come from countries like Pakistan or Thailand that don't have strong safety regulations," he said.