Bush 2002 budget hits Rx re-import plan, provides $46 billion for Helping

US President George W Bush's budget request for fiscal 2002, sent toCongress on April 9, would cut $20 million off the $23 million originally planned to implement the controversial prescription drug re-importation legislation bill approved last year but then left dormant when President Bill Clinton's Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala refused to implement it (Marketletter January 1 & 8).

Last month, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said he planned to revisit the plan (Marketletter March 19), noting his support for the concept of re-importation. However, he now says that with nearly 90% of its funding cut by the budget, its implementation is looking "doubtful." Pointing to the safety concerns which were the main reason for ex-Sec Shalala's refusal to implement the bill, he noted that, to assure the safety of re-imported drugs, "we would have to increase the number of inspectors by quite a large degree in order for us to certify that they're the same drugs and that they're going to be safe for the consuming public in America."

The budget request leaves just a "placeholder" $2.9 million to be used to prepare the Department for implementing the new law should Sec Thompson decide to go ahead with it, a decision which he said he will make soon, note Associated Press reports.