While critics of the new Medicare discount cards say that seniors can still get better prices through either online or by using Canadian pharmacies, there is now new support for Canadian drug imports that has started from a surprising source. Tommy Thompson, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said on May 4 that legislation allowing the importation of prescription drugs was inevitable.

On May 5, attorneys general from 18 states sent Thompson a letter asking that he allow states to import low-cost prescription drugs from Canada.

Thomas Ryan, chairman and CEO of CVS, called for a temporary legalization of imports. “Simply put, there are too many patients our pharmacies never see because they cannot afford the drugs we dispense,” said Ryan. He added that importation should be legalized for three or four years while the larger issue of varying drug prices is addressed.

Under the proposal given by the attorneys general, all of the imported drugs would be manufactured at facilities sanctioned by the FDA. The Bush administration, however, remains in opposition to the legalization of importation of drugs from Canada citing safety concerns. But, in open defiance of the FDA and the administration, various cities and states have inaugurated systems to help citizens buy drugs from Canada.