Drug reimportation bill passes Congress
despite heated opposition -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Supporters say it will end price
subsidies; opponents say it imports price controls and will hinder
R&D. 2. HHS says it won’t be able to
monitor safety 3. One solution - cut FDA approval red
tape 4. Pro and con statements by Rep.
Ron Paul. M.D. & “Medicine Men” column 5. Attend a congressional town
meeting during August --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In a late night/early morning
session before it adjourned for the August recess, the House of Representatives
passed H.R. 2427, the Pharmaceutical Market Access Act. Both sides of the issue gathered into
those “strange bedfellows” coalitions of democrats and republicans,
conservatives and liberals. The bill would allow consumers to
import prescription drugs from 25 other countries, including
Free market supporters have lined up
on both sides of this issue. Those
supporting the bill say it eliminates unfair, artificial government
SUBSIDIES. Opponents see it as
allowing the importation of other countries’ artificial price CONTROLS, and will
make fewer funds available for R & D. There is disagreement on the safety
issue as well. Two HHS secretaries
under both the AAPS has not take a position on this
bill, but some of our prominent members have. Pasted below are two articles – the
first, a brief statement by Congressman Ron Paul, M.D. in support, and in
opposition, the “Medicine Men” column written by Drs. Glueck and Cihak, former
AAPS President. Most of us agree on one of the major
contributors to drug costs – the government red-tape required for FDA
approval. These government hoops
add an estimated at $800 million. Since the bills will be worked out
in conference, there is still time to talk to your Members about this during the
recess in August. Attend a town
meeting or call the local offices.
In a subsequent alert, we’ll brief you about other bills pending so you
can make your calls or speak up at a meeting. SIIGN UP FOR
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Paul Supports Importation of
Affordable Prescription Drugs “Drug reimportation is critical to lowering prices,”
Paul stated. “Reimportation allows
American consumers, particularly seniors, to benefit from worldwide price
competition. It’s outrageous that
the FDA does not permit Paul supports tax credits for seniors to offset the cost
of needed medicines, and medical savings accounts to allow tax-free savings to
be used to pay for prescriptions.
He also supports legislation that streamlines the FDA approval process to
make promising new drugs available more quickly. “Government red tape is a major culprit in rising drug
costs,” Paul concluded. “Congress
needs to end subsidies to the pharmaceutical and insurance industries, cut
unnecessary FDA regulations, and repeal rules that stifle price
competition.” Reprinted from
NewsMax.com Drug
Reimportation
Michael Arnold Glueck, M.D., and
Robert J. Cihak, M.D. Gutknecht Bill Translates to
Goodnight, Patients
Sometimes the Powers That
Be and the Powers That Wannabe try to bribe you directly. More often, and far
more insidiously, they buy you indirectly, by offering to "save you money." The
Gutknecht "Drug Reimportation Bill" scheduled for a vote in the U.S. House of
Representatives this week seeks to do both. This item would make it
legal for Americans to purchase drugs from 26 foreign countries (including
American drugs previously exported), and would suspend the requirement that the
Food and Drug Administration certify these pharmaceuticals as safe and
effective. So, what's wrong with that?
Your Medicine Men hold no great affection for the FDA, with its
bureaucracy-driven drug-approval processes and excessive caution. We do cherish
open markets and competition. And there's already a thriving (if illegal)
U.S.-Canadian trade in prescription drugs. Just spend some time at any
major border crossing, watching the American seniors head north to get their
subsidized drugs ... while Canadians of all ages flock south for treatments
unavailable under their system. Not to mention the Internet commerce.
By some estimates,
Americans spend well over half a billion dollars annually on such drugs. Those
who travel to So, what's the dilemma?
There are at least three
dilemmas. The first is patient
SAFETY. Free and easy importation could lead to a flood of counterfeit drugs; to
an influx of expired drugs that have been repackaged; and to drugs manufactured,
stored and transported under unknown conditions. We could be importing poisons –
maybe even terrorism. Further, many advanced
American drugs aren't even allowed into other countries. Reimporting what's
available somewhere else because it appears to save money may often mean
foregoing, or even not knowing about, the most effective treatments.
Which brings us to the
second dilemma: MONEY. Contrary to popular belief, Canadians on average pay
about as much as we do for drugs. This is especially true for generic drugs
whose patents have expired. Since it all depends on what an individual needs,
savings may be illusory. But money here has another
aspect. Pharmaceutical research and development costs. The average drug takes
about $800 million from inception to FDA approval to market. Profits from sales
have to amortize this investment. They also have to pay for all the work that
ends up in failure; for drugs for rare diseases that will never turn a profit;
and for all the drugs that the firms sell (here and abroad) at discounts for
various reasons. Massive reimportation could
well have a sadly deleterious effect on future R&D – especially if coupled
with massive violation of patent and other intellectual property rights. Let's
not forget that without R&D we might not have combated AIDS or the latest
resistant organism de jour. The third dilemma involves
a philosophical MINDSET perhaps best depicted as "Who needs cows? We get our
milk from cartons." The Gutknecht bill is just one more part of a massive state
assault upon American medicine. Indeed, the only reason why
it's coming to a vote at all is that Missouri Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson, a
Republican, swapped her vote for the overall Medicare bill for a guarantee that
the House would vote on reimportation. The Medicare Bill, be it noted, passed
the House 216-215. In return, Emerson demanded
a full House vote on a bill by Minnesota Republican Gil Gutknecht that would
make it legal for Americans to take "advantage" of socialistic countries'
government-imposed price controls by reimporting our own prescription drugs.
Politicians buying
citizens, yes. But such wholesale purchase would not be possible were Americans
to realize that health care, like the rest of civilization, does not happen
automatically, and is never free. And it's being destroyed by those who think
that it can be. This legislation is a
reckless political trick. Congressional leaders of both parties know its
dangers. Congress needs to say goodnight to the Gutknecht bill.
* * * * * Michael Arnold Glueck,
M.D., is a multiple-award-winning writer who comments on medical-legal issues.
Robert J. Cihak, M.D., is a former president of the Association of American
Physicians and Surgeons. Contact Drs. Glueck and
Cihak by e-mail at [email protected]. ###### |