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WASHINGTON - Federal drug regulators are using a "lighter touch" in their efforts to stop a growing number of cities and states from importing prescription drugs from Canada, and the city of Boston is taking advantage of that new posture.
Lester Crawford, acting Food and Drug Administration commissioner, said recently that the agency will continue to evaluate programs on a case-by-case basis. But he noted that many cities and states are using the same Canadian pharmacies and Web sites to fill prescriptions.
"As long as they're coming from Canada, and as long as they're from drugstores that we have some experience with, then we would have a lighter touch probably," Crawford said. "But if it escalates and there are other countries, or if there are some events that occur, that could change overnight."
Sensing an opening, Boston is forging ahead with its pilot program allowing city workers and retirees to get cheaper drugs from Canada, despite a warning letter from the FDA on Aug. 4.
Mark Reynolds, special assistant to Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, said Monday the city will continue to use Total Care Pharmacy of Calgary, Alberta. Wisconsin has been using Total Care and is very happy with the program, Reynolds said.
The FDA letter used "what might be considered a lighter touch," Reynolds said. "The letter said they recognized that pricing was an issue, and they wanted to work cooperatively."
The FDA has consistently told city and state officials that importing drugs from Canada is illegal and unsafe. But the agency has done little to stop governments that set up programs, preferring to send warning letters and hold meetings to stress the risks involved.
Instead, the agency has tried to crack down on illegal drug importation companies in the United States and urged Canadian authorities to be more aggressive on their side of the border.
Crawford said the FDA would probably only take legal action through the courts "in the event of a public health event or one that we think is imminent." The agency would also become more concerned, he said, if states began importing drugs from countries other than Canada.
The FDA will not approve any pilot programs for importation of Canadian drugs, he said.
Boston is the largest city to offer Canadian drugs as an option; Springfield, Mass., and Montgomery, Ala., have had similar programs for about a year.
Boston launched its program last month. Employees are in the process of filling out applications, and city officials expect people to begin submitting prescriptions this week.