Utah woman says price of drugs skyrocketed, wants cheaper meds from Canada
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Moira Drage may look healthy, but she said her life has been infused with painful Fibromyalgia, which leaves her struggling to get out of bed — and a drug that could help ease the pain jumped to five times the cost over the past ten years.
“Now, it’s gone up to $800 a month,“ said Drage, who takes a battery of daily medications and is looking for relief north of the border.
HB 267 would seek federal approval to import Canadian drugs to Utah, which Rep. Norm Thurston said could provide people with prescription savings of up to 85 percent from what they’re paying now.
“So the fiscal note says around $100 million to the entire State of Utah (in total savings) per year,“ he said, adding that lobbyists for pharmaceutical companies have been working against his measure at the state Capitol. “I think there’s a lot of misinformation floating around.“
Disclosures at the Utah Lieutenant Governor’s Office show drug makers are well represented in the halls outside the House and Senate, counting among their ranks a former House Speaker and a former legislative top aide.
“I know people are going to say it’s lower quality,“ said Drage of the drugs from Canada. “It’s the same pharmaceutical company for a lot of these drugs.“
She said her current prescription costs are between $350 to $400 per month out of pocket, and she planned to be at the Capitol on Thursday, testifying for the drug importation bill.
