By AP/KWMU
Springfield, Ill – Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich Tuesday said the state may have no choice but to help residents buy cheaper imported prescription drugs, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says is illegal.
Blagojevich says the state "may have some soul searching to do" if a study he commissioned shows it's safe and cheaper to buy drugs from Europe.
He also says the state may have no choice but to directly help the people of Illinois take advantage of better prices offered in Canada and Europe.
But the governor stressed he hasn't made a final decision on the matter.
It's illegal to buy imported prescription drugs, which the federal government warns may not be safe.
Blagojevich today says a panel of advisers will travel to Europe to research drug regulation and distribution methods there. An FDA spokesman says the only thing the advisers will get from the trip is frequent flier miles.
The FDA's Tom McGinnis was in St. Louis Tuesday and said he worries about expanding the drug supply system beyond U.S. borders "because it makes it much easier for the counterfeiters and diverters of drug products to get products into the drug system to U.S. citizens that don't meet strength, quality, and purity standards the FDA has set forth." The FDA only has authority within the U.S.