PRESCRIPTION DRUGS Official: Importation law inevitable

The White House is under pressure to allow lower-cost drugs to be imported.
LOS ANGELES TIMES
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration's top health-care official said Tuesday that passage of legislation authorizing the importation of prescription drugs was inevitable, despite strong opposition from the White House and most congressional Republicans.
The statement by Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson fell far short of an endorsement of imported drugs, and he downplayed the potential cost savings for U.S. consumers. Administration officials were quick to scale back Thompson's remarks.
But his comment, made during a news conference with reporters from regional newspapers, reflected the growing public demand for cheaper prescription drugs -- and the political momentum for legalizing drug importation that has been building for months.
As many as 2 million Americans bought U.S.-made prescription drugs from Canada last year, at savings of up to 70 percent; an expanding group of governors, mayors and lawmakers has been pressuring the Bush administration to legalize the practice.
The administration has based its opposition to the importation of American-made drugs from Canada and other countries on safety concerns, saying there is no way to guarantee purity once the medications leave the United States.
Taking sides
Recognizing the populist potential of the issue, some Democrats -- including Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, the party's presumptive presidential nominee -- have sought to portray that opposition as evidence of President Bush's ties to U.S. drug manufacturers.
The pharmaceutical industry strongly opposes drug importation, citing the safety issue and contending that lower prices would mean a reduction in companies' funding for the research and development of new drugs.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., seized on Thompson's comments Tuesday to further criticize the president.
"Secretary Thompson is right that the American people are demanding access to drugs at the same fair prices available to Canadians and Europeans," Kennedy said in a statement. "But passage of a real program will continue to be an uphill battle as long as President Bush stands with the pharmaceutical industry against American patients."
Discount cards
Administration officials reiterated their concerns Tuesday about the safety of imported drugs and sought to shift attention to the Medicare discount drug card. This is the first week that Medicare beneficiaries can sign up for the card, which is effective next month.
Thompson "just talked about the inevitability of this passing Congress, not whether we would support it," HHS spokesman Bill Pierce said. "This does not represent a change in policy."
Unlike drug importation, which might be "somewhere down the road," the Medicare drug discount card is "right now," Pierce said. "Starting June 1, seniors are going to be able to take their cards and save money."
White House officials were equally noncommittal on the importation issue, declining to speculate whether Bush would sign such legislation into law.
"The president's focus is on making sure that seniors and all Americans have the safest drugs available and have them made affordable as possible," White House spokesman Trent A. Duffy said.