Drug Importation in New Mexico: An Overview
Synopsis:
In March 2020, the Governor of New Mexico signed SB1, a bill which creates a "wholesale prescription drug importation program" to be administered by New Mexico's Department of Health.
New Mexico published the draft of its application to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and submitted the final version to HHS in December 2020. Consult PSM's analysis on the right to learn more about their proposed plans.
Official actions and statements
- Legislative Health and Human Services Committee meeting, August 11, 2022 update: recording | slides (.pdf)
- Submitted final application in December 2020.
- Released draft application to U.S. HHS, October 28, 2020
- Governor Lujan Grisham signed SB1 into law March 4, 2020
- Bill introduced to the New Mexico Senate January 15, 2020
Planning documents
News
- N.M. May Get Med Imports From Canada Under Trump Order, September 25, 2020
"An outline of the program must be submitted by Dec. 15 to the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, Morgan said, adding that the public will have a chance to comment on the program before then."
Op-eds from the Experts
In late November, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a landmark report on the global counterfeit drug epidemic. Unfortunately, the WHO glossed over a major cause of the crisis — instability in the European Union’s drug supply chain — and actually gave the European Union cover by applauding its deeply flawed approach to combating counterfeit drugs. We need a better strategy to win the war on counterfeit drugs.
According to retired Phoenix Police Commander Tim Hampton, who wrote this editorial in White Mountain Independent on December 15, 2017, legalizing drug importation will help “criminal organizations . . . exploit weaknesses in the law to traffic narcotics,” and increase the flow of counterfeit pills cut with fentanyl into the country: “The drug importation bill would weaken America’s anti-drug defenses and endanger thousands of innocent lives — here in Arizona and throughout the nation.”
Tim Mackey, Ph.D., is an associate professor at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine; a fellow at the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Governance, Accountability and Transparency in the Pharmaceutical Sector; director of Health Care Research and Policy at the University of California, San Diego, Extension; and director of the Global Health Policy Institute. In this op-ed that appeared in STAT News, he warns that the recent report by WHO that estimates that 10% of drugs in the world is fake should be a warning sign…
PSM's Analysis of New Mexico's Application
New Mexico's October 2020 draft application was very close to its final submission in December
To get up to speed:
- Read "What is Drug Importation?," a short primer and guide to keeping New Mexico residents safe and learning the myths of Canadian drug importation.
- Catch up on our analysis:
Watch our video and read the accompanying blog to hear our analysis of New Mexico's draft application.
PSM Coverage:
On Tuesday, December 2, 2020, New Mexico conducted their one and only public hearing on their plan to import medicine from Canada (over Canada’s objections). While the hearing was largely a formality, there was some interesting testimony.
The state of New Mexico released a draft of its Canadian drug importation plan. PSM analyzed the plan, paying particular attention to concerns pharmacists might have about how drug importation might affect their patients and business…
The New Mexico Pharmacists Association recently sent their own letter to members of Congress expressing their concerns about allowing drug importation. PSM had the chance to speak with their executive director to learn more about the realities and misconceptions that people have about prescription drugs and drug importation…
Additional Resources:
Recent Statements Opposing Canadian Drug Importation
- American Pharmacists Association
- Canadian Pharmacists Association
- American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
- Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists
- National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
- Canadian Association for Pharmacy Distribution Management
Prescription Drugs in Wyoming, Evaluating State Policy Options For Lowering Costs (October 1, 2020)
The Wyoming Department of Health concluded that it is "virtually impossible to guarantee that consumers will actually see savings, particularly in the case of Canadian drug importation. Basic economics also suggests fundamental problems with this plan that make it unsustainable in the long-run."