By Mark Sherman
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Breaking with others in his industry, the chief executive of CVS/pharmacy called Wednesday for temporarily legalizing imports of prescription drugs.

"While many in our industry believe that importation is a fundamentally flawed concept and oppose it without exception, I have come to a slightly different view," Thomas Ryan, CVS chairman and chief executive officer, said in prepared testimony for a government task force on drug importation.

Ryan is the first executive of a large drug store chain to support importing drugs from countries where prices are controlled by governments and prescriptions are cheaper than in the United States. He said such a move would be a recognition of reality.

"Millions of Americans already have opted to import drugs because they can't afford not to. We owe it to them to face this issue head on and not look the other way," Ryan said.

The government panel is considering whether and how drugs could be safely imported from Canada and elsewhere.

Ryan suggested a two-year trial run while the government seeks a long-term solution to soaring drug prices.