Importation plan gets bipartisan support

An FDA official said fees to pay for safety certification might come up short.
DALLAS MORNING NEWS
WASHINGTON -- A drive to make prescription-drug imports legal and force lower prices with global competition picked up momentum.
New legislation would make Canadian drug imports legal and then expand to 20 other countries. It is the latest proposal reflecting voter anger about high drug prices -- but this one is significant because it drew bipartisan support Wednesday.
"This one has a lot of horsepower and a lot of firepower behind it," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. Other Democratic sponsors are Sens. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota and Tom Daschle of South Dakota. Republicans are Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Olympia Snowe of Maine.
Drugs are less expensive abroad because foreign governments regulate prices, forcing U.S. consumers to cover drug-company costs and profits. Between 1995 and 2002, the cost of the average brand-name prescription has jumped 90 percent to $76.29, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Safety concerns
The Bush administration opposes re-importing U.S.-made drugs, saying it cannot certify their safety.
The bill would impose levies to fund Food and Drug Administration efforts to certify imported-drug safety. But FDA pharmacy director Tom McGinnis said the fees might be burdensome for small pharmacies and would raise only $10 million annually -- far less than the $100 million the FDA wants to insure drug safety.
The proposal drew fire from pharmaceutical companies, who predicted consumers would be harmed by fake drugs. "There are better solutions to risky importation schemes," said Alan Holmer, president of the drug lobby PhRMA.
During the 2002 congressional election, drug companies gave candidates $29 million.