Dear Editor:
I applaud your editorial of September 27 chiding the governor for not backing down from his illegal and ineffective prescription drug importation program, especially after it was criticized last week by the state auditor general.
The Food and Drug Administration warned long ago that such a program would be an illegal violation of the national ban on prescription drug importation and would be unsafe. In a remarkably blunt letter dated November 6, 2003, William K. Hubbard, then associate commissioner of the FDA, wrote, “It is inconceivable to FDA scientists that there will not be some injuries arising from the sale of unapproved drugs to your employees or citizens.”
It is time Gov. Blagojevich does the right thing by voluntarily shutting down I-SaveRx. If he doesn’t, the FDA should shut it down for him. What are they waiting for? A body count?
Sincerely,
Joseph Bast
Joseph Bast ([email protected]) is president of The Heartland Institute.
Joseph Bast is a Senior Fellow at The Heartland Institute. He cofounded Heartland in 1984, serving as executive director then as president & CEO until January 2018. His research and writing focuses on climate change and energy policy.
