It appears increasingly likely that Montgomery will approve the measure when the council votes next week.
Five of nine council members co-sponsored the measure. And yesterday, council member Nancy Floreen (D-At Large) announced she also would probably support it.
"As long as we make it voluntary, and we are not forcing anybody, and if we can save some money, I believe the safety issues will be adequately addressed," Floreen said, noting the county would use a regulated pharmacy to make the cross-border transactions.
But council member Michael Knapp (D-Upcounty) said he probably will vote against the measure because he worries it would send the wrong message to biotechnology companies that are considering moving into the county. He also said he is not convinced it would save the county money.
Rost, who joined Pfizer in 2001, said he has seen dramatic savings in northern European countries that reimport drugs from southern Europe, where he says prescription drugs are 50 percent cheaper.
Before joining Pfizer, Rost worked for Wyeth-Ayerst/Lederle Laboratories, serving as its director of European commercial operations from 1996 to 1998. During that time, he said, he never heard any European government or regulatory agency raise safety concerns.
"I think it is derogatory to suggest Americans would not be able to handle the reimportation of drugs when the rest of the educated world can do this," Rost said.
While he conceded that the industry could lose some money in the short term if Americans were to import drugs from Canada, Rost said it would remain highly profitable.
"I think the industry looks at this in the same way the [National Rifle Association] looks at gun control," Rost said. "They are afraid if there is a crack in the wall, the whole dam will come bursting."
