Maine's importation law: The Maine Legislature enacted legislation in late June that allows personal importation of prescription drugs from several English-speaking countries with high safety and oversight standards. On September 10, PhRMA and allies including the Maine Pharmacy Association, the Retail Association of Maine, the Maine Society of Health System Pharmacists, and several individual pharmacists filed suit in federal District Court challenging the law. Here is the 23-page complaint. Listen to the MPBN news report and read this Bangor Daily News article for more. If the law is overturned, there will be repercussions for the state budget. The state employees' health plan offered CanaRx as an option before the program was stopped in 2012 by then-Attorney General William Schneider. The city of Portland and Hardwood Products of Guilford also offered employees the mail-order importation option. Ending the program cost the State nearly $3 million in savings under the Maine state employees' health plan and another $200,000 in savings for the city of Portland. The legislation had bipartisan support, with bills to restore the program introduced by both Democrats and Republicans.
California acts to boost Biotech profits, but will patients and consumers benefit?
California Governor Jerry Brown is deciding whether to sign a bill regulating quasi-generic versions of specialty biologic drugs known as biosimilars. The California Assembly and Senate have enacted different versions of legislation intended to boost biotech drug profits by reducing access to generic, or "biosimilar" versions of their drugs. As reported by Ed Silverman in Forbes, the controversial legislation limiting generic substitution has been rejected in 10 other states. Provisions in the California legislation have raised cost and access concerns among health payers like the California Public Employee Retirement System, according to Healthcare Payer News.
