Governor wants cheap drugs

last updated 8 January 2015

Chicago

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich this week ordered his staff to study whether the state could buy prescription drugs from Canada for state employees. Illinois’ spending on medicine jumped 15 percent this year, to $340 million. Identical prescriptions can be 67 percent more expensive in the U.S. than in Canada, so the switch could save millions. The Food and Drug Administration warns that drugs from abroad could be expired, untested, or otherwise dangerous. Still, cash-strapped jurisdictions are pursuing the option. Springfield, Mass., began buying Canadian drugs for its workers this summer, and Pittsfield, Mass., may follow suit. “I don’t see Canadians dropping dead from their prescriptions,” said Pittsfield Mayor Sara Hathaway.