Legislative Update for Week of July 19, 2004

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Legislative Update for Week of July 19, 2004

Access to inexpensive prescription drugs from Canada and other countries is an issue that TSCL has vigorously supported. We are approaching the one-year anniversary of the passage of H.R.2427, the Pharmaceutical Market Access Act. The House of Representatives approved this bill on July 25, 2003 by a vote of 243–186.

As you may know, TSCL has given its support to the Senate version of an importation drug bill, S.2328, sponsored by Senators Byron Dorgan and Olympia Snowe. This bill has yet to come up for a vote, due in large part to opposition by Senate Majority leader Bill Frist (R-TN). Advocates of drug importation in the Senate are hopeful that with enough public support and pressure, this issue can be kept alive.

Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has scheduled a markup of his drug importation bill, S.2493, for July 21st. A markup doesn’t mean, however, that a bill will be debated on the floor, but Gregg’s bill is more likely to gain attention from Senate leadership than the more far-reaching Dorgan-Snowe measure.

Congress is considering approving a trade agreement with Australia that could seriously undercut efforts to make drug reimportation a reality in this country. Under a provision of the agreement, as negotiated by the Bush administration, pharmaceutical companies could prevent imports of drugs from Australia to the U.S. Also, they could have some control over that country’s national health program regarding drug pricing and coverage for its citizens.

Lawmakers initially did not realize this highly unusual provision was in the trade agreement. According to Sen. Dorgan (D-ND), as reported by AP writer Jim Abrams and which appeared on The Worldlink.com, “It’s a bizarre provision to put in a trade agreement. It’s anti-consumer and pro-pharmaceutical industry.”

An agriculture appropriations bill, currently in the House, contains language that would prevent the Food and Drug Administration from barring FDA-approved drug imports from Canada and other countries. Last year’s agriculture spending bill had a similar provision eliminated. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), a member of the House Appropriations agriculture subcommittee, had pushed this year to have that provision reinstated.

As you can see, drug importation is on the minds of many Congressional legislators, some for, and some against. TREA-Senior Citizens League endorses Sen. Dorgan’s bill, S.2328, and continues to push for real and substantial legislation to alleviate the burden many seniors bear in paying for their prescription drugs.

Sources: “Trade Agreement May Undercut Importing of Inexpensive Drugs,” Elizabeth Becker and Robert Pear, The New York Times, July 12, 2004, “Senate Bill on Drug Importation Heads to Markup, but Floor Action Uncertain,” Kate Schuler, CQ Today, July 13, 2004, “One Issue, Two Drug Import Bills, Contrary Votes Possible,” Jim Abrams, Associated Press, www.theworldlink.com, July 13, 2004

July 2004