DENVER — Colorado has formally submitted plans to the federal government to begin importing prescription drugs from Canada.
The Section 804 Import Program (SIP) application lists 112 drugs that states want to bring across the border to save people money.
“The big picture is that there are Coloradons who cannot afford to take their medications as prescribed because they are too expensive,” said Kim Bimestefer, executive director of the state’s Office of Health Policy and Finance.
The agency estimates that the program will save Coloradans $53 million to $88 million on prescriptions each year.
On average, prescription drugs account for about 19% of total state health care costs, according to the department.
“If we can import medicines with an average savings of 65% through our current track, it will make a meaningful difference for Coloradans,” said Bimestefer.
Among the 112 prescription drugs the state wants imported are:
- EpiPen where state expects 66% savings
- Xarelto, a blood thinner, could save 77% on imports, according to the state.
- Respirator company Advair Diskus expects the state to save 66%.
- Type 2 diabetes drug Invokana expects state to save 81%
- Birth control pill Nuvaring expects state to save 90%
The biggest cost-saving drug on the per-prescription list is Cavenuva, an HIV drug that patients are currently billed for $6,240. The department estimates that the imported version of the drug will cost the patient $3,074.
To determine which drugs to include, Bimestefer’s team combed through claim data for Colorado’s 2,000 most expensive drugs and narrowed it down from there.
“We looked at the most expensive drugs and the bulk of the drugs. For example, drugs like Synthroid for hyperthyroidism. They’re not particularly expensive, but they’re highly available.” said Lauren Reveley, drug import program manager for the division. “We tried to focus on drugs that treat chronic diseases like HIV, asthma and COPD.”
There are currently 112 medicines on the list, but the application warns that the list is currently ambitious and not all medicines can be imported at first. Reveley said this is due to the way the drug maker struck deals with Canadian wholesalers.
“For every drug on our list, we have to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies to secure supply and pricing agreements. said.
Ultimately, though, she hopes to go well beyond the list of 112 drugs.
Before a drug is imported, it must pass through an FDA-approved manufacturer, tested for authenticity and quality, and then relabeled.
The FDA now has six months to review the state’s application and determine whether it can move forward.
Bimesteffer said states have already submitted draft applications to the FDA in hopes of facilitating the process and speeding things up.
Colorado became the second state to file a SIP application after Florida, which has been waiting for a response from the FDA for over 600 days.
In August, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state filed a lawsuit against the FDA over the delay.
“We expect a quick review and hope they will work with us so that we can respond as quickly as possible and bring savings to Coloradan,” Bimestefer said.
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