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The Florida Legislature has passed a bill allowing pharmacists to use the same standards for substituting biosimilar drugs that apply to generic small-molecule drugs. Makers of brand-name biologic drugs have been lobbying state legislatures for restrictive policies on biosimilars substitution.

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A new state law will allow Maine residents to buy prescription drugs from mail-order pharmacies in Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand, where drug prices can be 50% cheaper than in the U.S. Industry groups warned of safety and liability issues, especially with Internet sales, and the FDA warned that it cannot guarantee the quality, efficacy or safety of treatments bought outside the U.S.

A bill passed by the Maine Legislature would allow residents and businesses to buy prescription drugs from mail-order pharmacies in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K. Proponents say the bill will save residents millions of dollars.

Granting drugmakers extended patents for small modifications to existing drugs cost the Swiss city of Geneva an extra $19 million on eight drugs between 2000 and 2008, according to a study published in the online journal PLOS Medicine. Overall, substituting generic drugs for the original branded and so-called "follow-on" drugs would have saved $40 million, the study found.

Brand-name and generic-drug-makers are required to work together on a shared risk evaluation and management strategy in the absence of an undue burden. Prometheus Laboratories has filed a citizen petition with the FDA requesting guidance for navigating conflicts of interest in such arrangements.