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FDA Delays Response To Medicines Lawsuit
by Chloe Albanesius
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has delayed its response to a Vermont lawsuit that challenges the agency's position on importing prescription drugs from abroad.
The FDA will wait until Nov. 30 to reply to a lawsuit filed in August by Republican Gov. Jim Douglas and Attorney General William Sorrell. The suit calls on the federal government to waive its rule prohibiting imports in order for the state to test a program that, if successful, would serve as an importation model for other states.
Allowing imports of drugs "would be inconsistent with FDA's statutory responsibility to protect the nation's drug supply," the agency said in an August statement. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson has not yet determined if foreign drugs pose any health or safety risk or would significantly lower the cost of prescription drugs to Americans, the FDA said. The agency, therefore, is working "expeditiously" on an intergovernmental study on importation.
On Tuesday, Douglas won re-election with 59 percent of the vote. In New Hampshire, Republican Gov. Craig Benson, another importation supporter, lost his bid for a second term to Democratic challenger John Lynch, who captured about 51 percent of the vote.
On his campaign Web site, Lynch pledged that he will join the Vermont litigation "and seek to establish a legal re-importation program in conjunction with Vermont." The United States must do more to ensure that importation "doesn't remain in jeopardy of being terminated" by the FDA, Lynch said.
Meanwhile, Missouri last week joined an importation program spearheaded by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich that lets residents purchase from Canada and Europe cheaper drugs for treating chronic conditions. The I-SaveRx program also includes Wisconsin and has prompted interest from some 17,000 eligible residents since its inception, Blagojevich said in a press release.
"I am confident that this is a system that offers both safety and savings," Missouri Gov. Bob Holden said in a press release. "The federal government's refusal to stand up to the drug companies has penalized our citizens for too long."
Residents in Illinois, Missouri and Wisconsin will now have access to the I-SaveRx clearinghouse, a database available online and via a toll-free telephone number that provides information on medication included in the program and price comparisons between American, Canadian and European pharmacies.
Missouri pharmacists, however, are taking out newspaper advertisements claiming that residents are waiving certain rights when participating in I-SaveRx, The Kansas City Star reports. Consumers are relinquishing their rights as medical consumers, according to the Missouri Pharmacy Association. Agreements that consumers must sign before purchasing the drugs absolve I-SaveRx, doctors and pharmacies of any liability should those drugs be harmful, according to association President Randy Meents.
A Holden spokeswoman said the pharmacists' claims are "just flat wrong."
Holden has the dubious achievement of being the state's first incumbent governor to lose a re-election bid during the primaries. However, his Democratic challenger, state Auditor Claire McCaskill, lost in Tuesday's general election to Republican Secretary of State Matt Blunt. Blunt said on his campaign Web site that "if Canadian drugs are safe, we should use them."
Virginia Gets First Felony Spam Conviction
Virginia on Wednesday won a nine-year sentence for a man convicted of sending thousands of unsolicited e-mail messages, according to Attorney General Jerry Kilgore.
Jeremy Jaynes and his sister, Jessica DeGroot, were found guilty in Loudoun County Circuit Court of violating Virginia's anti-spam statute. It was the nation's first felony spam conviction.
Jaynes was sentenced to nine years, while DeGroot was fined $7,500. A third individual, Richard Rutkowski, was found not guilty. Jaynes was convicted of sending more than 10,000 messages during a 24-hour period in July 2003, a felony under Virginia's law. DeGroot used her credit card to purchase Internet addresses from which Jaynes sent the offending e-mails.
The decision is a "major victory" for Virginians and Americans, Kilgore said in a press release. "Spam is a nuisance to millions of Americans, but it is also a major problem for businesses large and small because the thousands of unwanted e-mails create havoc as they attempt to conduct commerce."
Vermont Broadens Broadband Accessibility
In Vermont last week, Douglas announced that by next spring, Verizon Communications will increase the number of communities in the state with high-speed Internet access via digital subscriber lines (DSL) from 28 to 56.
"In order for Vermont to be competitive, we need to be able to communicate anywhere, anytime; in short, we need to wire Vermont," the Republican governor said in a statement. The move is part of Douglas' plan to have 100 percent wireless coverage on major transportation arteries and 90 percent broadband access in homes and businesses within four years.
"A modern telecommunications system is vital if Vermont is to create and retain jobs," he said. The state's "ability to create a modern, affordable and universally accessible telecommunications network is crucial to the state's economic future."
IBM Donates Computers To N.C. Pre-Schools
IBM donated 60 computers that will be used in 60 pre-kindergarten classrooms across North Carolina, Gov. Mike Easley announced Monday. The machines will be distributed in 35 counties based on need and come with educational software and colorful, child-sized, plastic furniture. IBM will also pay for teacher training sessions.
"IBM is investing in our young students and their future by enhancing our state's pre-kindergarten program with child-friendly technology," Easley said in a press release. The goal is "to reach the students who fall into the 'digital divide' category and give them an edge by introducing them to technology and learning opportunities early in their lives," said Nicole Pride, IBM manager of community relations in Research Triangle Park.
Illinois Mayors Gather To Talk Security
Fifteen Illinois mayors joined Blagojevich in Springfield on Wednesday for the first meeting of his task force of elected officials on homeland security and disaster planning.
"Preparing for potential terrorism can't be done in a vacuum; it takes cooperation and interaction between local, state and federal entities," Blagojevich said in a press release. "The Illinois Terrorism Task Force [is] a tribute to this cooperative effort ... [and] the Elected Officials Working Group for Homeland Security will further strengthen the vital lines of communication between the task force and local leaders."
The group has three goals: help the task force get direct input from local leaders; allow it to provide detailed, quick security information to local leaders; and help it organize leadership training for critical incidents in the communities.
"For this to be as effective as possible, it's very important that we know the concerns, needs and resources in each community, which requires that we establish and maintain a two-way line of communication with local officials," task force Chairman Mike Chamness said.
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