AMA delegates lend hand to drug importation: wholesalers, pharmacies may import FDA-approved drugs, delegates say.(Practice Trends)

ATLANTA -- Delegates to the American Medical Association's 2004 interim meeting made a bold move to support prescription drug importation by wholesalers and pharmacies, provided that certain conditions were met to ensure patient safety.

"Prescription drugs should be available at the lowest price possible, and we must ensure quality and safety," AMA Trustee Edward Langston, M.D., said at a press briefing following the vote.

The policy approved by the House of Delegates states that the drugs must be approved by the Food and Drug Administration and must be subject to reliable "track and trace" technology and a closed distribution chain. The policy was swiftly approved by the house after much discussion in committee.

The AMA also reaffirmed that it does not support personal importation of prescription drugs via the Internet until patient safety can be assured.

The policy urges the AMA to educate members regarding the risks and benefits associated with reimportation efforts.

"We're certainly gratified the AMA emphasized the need for safety" in its new policy, Jeff Trewhitt, spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association, told this newspaper. PhRMA, however, "remains convinced that importation is too riddled with problems to pursue."

The AMA's position on patient safety and reimportation could change once it reviews a forthcoming report from a task force of the Department of Health and Human Services, the policy said.