Nevada officials to study Canada drug shipments

Monday, July 11, 2005 | 9:30 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Representatives of the state Pharmacy Board fly to Winnipeg today to learn how lower-priced Canadian drugs would be shipped to Nevada consumers under a new law.

Louis Ling, attorney for the board, called it an "information gathering" trip to get a level of confidence how Canada handles its prescription drugs business.

The Legislature approved a bill to allow Nevada consumers to buy up to a three-months' supply of mail order prescription drugs from Canada.

Ling and Larry Pinson, incoming executive director of the pharmacy board, will spend two days talking with government officials and those who regulate the pharmacy business in that country.

Keith Macdonald, retiring executive director of the pharmacy, said it's acknowledged that brand name drugs in Canada may be 40 percent cheaper than in the United States. But he said generic drugs are the same price.

Macdonald said the trip is to determine if Canada can comply with the new Nevada law that allows only drugs that have the approval of the Federal Drug Administration to be shipped to Nevada.

Ling said that's one of the issues that will be examined during the two days of meetings. "We want to explore where they get the stuff. We have heard all kinds of stories," he said.

There have been reports that drugs from Third World companies are being shipped from Canada to some of the states that allow importation from north of the border. Canadian officials have told Nevada legislators that they ship only FDA approved drugs.

Ling said, "We have got to pin that down and what they mean and how they meet the standard."

There will be discussions about containers and labeling of the drugs and "legal points," he said.

There will not be any tours of pharmacies this trip.

It will probably be September before the state Pharmacy Board approves any applications from Canadian pharmacies to ship to Nevada. At that point, the board will go to Canada to inspect the pharmacies that are approved before they issue any licenses. That will probably occur in the third week of September, Ling said.

He said there were "lots" of inquiries about applications.