Illinois Asks for Permission to Import Drugs

Illinois governor Rod R. Blagojevich sent a letter on December 22 to Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson asking that Thompson approve Illinois' plan to import pharmaceutical products from Canada for use by the state's employees and retirees. The governor, who has been pushing for months to gain the right to purchase drugs for Illinois from less-expensive sources in Canada, stated in his letter, "I was encouraged by your recent statements regarding your willingness to approve a small-scale demonstration project around the issue of re-importation of prescription drugs from Canada. We would like to work with you to design an effective pilot program that complies with the law." Blagojevich hopes his state will become the "small-scale demonstration project" Thompson spoke of.