Drug Pricing : A Review in Context of Higher Health Risk

Everyone on the “buy side” wants lower cost medicines. But at what cost? As Congress and other Administration officials attempt to make medications more affordable, patient safety must not be sacrificed.

Pharmacists are willing to consider novel approaches to lower the cost of medications but are concerned the recent legislative proposals will result in patients sourcing and relying upon non-FDA approved medicines, including potential counterfeit products outside of the secure supply chain we work so hard to maintain. Consequently, patients purchasing these medications will unknowingly bear the greatest risks.

While the government and healthcare community look for comprehensive policy solutions for drug pricing, resources from website like www.BuySafeRx.pharmacy and www.safe.pharmacy are available now to help consumers stay safe and verify the legitimacy of websites before they buy medicine online. Pharmacists in all practice settings can play an important role in educating patients about their buying options, including ways to identify and coordinate cost-effective treatments that consider individualized needs as well as payer policies. Pharmacists can help optimize the impact of patients’ medications but cannot do this effectively when patients’ medications are not safe or effective.

While we share the goal of increasing patient access to safe, affordable medicine, the potential cost-saving benefits of importation policies must be sufficiently weighed to account for the considerable risks to patients. We urge Congress and the Administration to carefully consider pharmacists and pharmacists’ perspective in policy decisions that impact patient access to safe and effective medications.

Should lawmakers and other health authorities authorize importation of prescription drugs, we should expect criminals to similarly flock to that new market, placing patient safety and public health at substantial risk.