Tweet
Another crafty GOP pre-election move. Pills bought in Canada won't be seized if you try to bring them over here. But the Republicans haven't forgotten their pharmaceutical cronies. You still can't buy pills through the mail or over the internet. In other words, it sounds good but it only helps those who live close to Canada. However, the same people who fell for the numerous 2004 pre-election "terrist" alerts will probably think this is great....
GOP leaders back Canadian drug plan
Bloomberg News
Published September 22, 2006
WASHINGTON -- House Republican leaders agreed to allow individuals to buy prescription drugs from Canada to take advantage of the country's lower prices, said Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.), who has been a leading House advocate for what is called reimportation.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) agreed to add the measure to a Homeland Security spending bill, Emerson said Thursday. Pharmacies and other businesses wouldn't be allowed to buy the drugs.
"I'm pleased we came to an agreement," Emerson said. "This is our compromise, not leadership's."
Emerson said she was told of the agreement by Rep. Hal Rogers, a Kentucky Republican who heads the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee. The effect would be that U.S. border inspectors would no longer intercept medicine purchased for personal use.
The Senate legislation has a similar provision, so the accord reached Thursday clears the way for House and Senate negotiators to agree on legislation funding the Homeland Security Department for fiscal year 2007, which begins Oct. 1, and to allow passage of the bill by both chambers before they recess at the end of next week to campaign for re-election.
Spokesmen for Hastert and House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) couldn't be reached for comment.
Prescription drug prices are as much as 70 percent lower in Canada because of government price controls. Annual sales of Canadian drugs to U.S. customers may be as high as $1.37 billion, a Canadian health minister said last year.
The agreement will make it easier for future legislation permitting more purchases from Canada, said Sen. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican and sponsor of the Senate reimportation provision.
"It really is a breakthrough," he said. "It's only a matter of time before we pass a full-blown reimportation bill."
House leaders had blocked efforts to allow the drug purchases, feeling pressure from drugmakers, who have said the practice ignores drug safety.
"Americans should look at much safer alternatives that already exist and are proving to be incredibly effective here at home," said Ken Johnson, senior vice president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the Washington-based lobbyist of the drug industry.
The pharmaceutical industry is one of the top donors to Republicans. Drugmaker political action committees and employees of those companies have donated about $8.8 million to Republican candidates so far in this year's House and Senate races, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington.
The industry heavily favors Republicans, with 69 percent of all its political donations going to the party's candidates, according to the center.
Democrats and rank-and-file Republicans have said drugmakers are more worried about the Canadian drug purchases cutting into their profits than drug safety.
The change of heart by the Republican leaders is clearly an effort to appeal to voters weeks before elections that will determine control of the House and Senate, said Stephen Wayne, professor of government at Georgetown University.
"This has been a do-nothing Congress," Wayne said. "They need to bring something back to the voters to show they are sensitive to concerns other than terrorism."
GOP leaders back Canadian drug plan
Bloomberg News
Published September 22, 2006
WASHINGTON -- House Republican leaders agreed to allow individuals to buy prescription drugs from Canada to take advantage of the country's lower prices, said Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.), who has been a leading House advocate for what is called reimportation.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) agreed to add the measure to a Homeland Security spending bill, Emerson said Thursday. Pharmacies and other businesses wouldn't be allowed to buy the drugs.
"I'm pleased we came to an agreement," Emerson said. "This is our compromise, not leadership's."
Emerson said she was told of the agreement by Rep. Hal Rogers, a Kentucky Republican who heads the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee. The effect would be that U.S. border inspectors would no longer intercept medicine purchased for personal use.
The Senate legislation has a similar provision, so the accord reached Thursday clears the way for House and Senate negotiators to agree on legislation funding the Homeland Security Department for fiscal year 2007, which begins Oct. 1, and to allow passage of the bill by both chambers before they recess at the end of next week to campaign for re-election.
Spokesmen for Hastert and House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) couldn't be reached for comment.
Prescription drug prices are as much as 70 percent lower in Canada because of government price controls. Annual sales of Canadian drugs to U.S. customers may be as high as $1.37 billion, a Canadian health minister said last year.
The agreement will make it easier for future legislation permitting more purchases from Canada, said Sen. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican and sponsor of the Senate reimportation provision.
"It really is a breakthrough," he said. "It's only a matter of time before we pass a full-blown reimportation bill."
House leaders had blocked efforts to allow the drug purchases, feeling pressure from drugmakers, who have said the practice ignores drug safety.
"Americans should look at much safer alternatives that already exist and are proving to be incredibly effective here at home," said Ken Johnson, senior vice president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the Washington-based lobbyist of the drug industry.
The pharmaceutical industry is one of the top donors to Republicans. Drugmaker political action committees and employees of those companies have donated about $8.8 million to Republican candidates so far in this year's House and Senate races, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington.
The industry heavily favors Republicans, with 69 percent of all its political donations going to the party's candidates, according to the center.
Democrats and rank-and-file Republicans have said drugmakers are more worried about the Canadian drug purchases cutting into their profits than drug safety.
The change of heart by the Republican leaders is clearly an effort to appeal to voters weeks before elections that will determine control of the House and Senate, said Stephen Wayne, professor of government at Georgetown University.
"This has been a do-nothing Congress," Wayne said. "They need to bring something back to the voters to show they are sensitive to concerns other than terrorism."
