Early last week, the Big Pharma lobby proudly announced that it had cut a deal with the White House and that, as a result, President Obama would reneg on his promise to permit Americans, once and for all, to buy drugs from Canadian pharmacies.
Late last week, Sen. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican, tried to resurrect Canadian drug reimportation by adding it as an amendment to a $43 billion funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security.
Political observers say the amendment is likely to be stripped from the final bill — but we’re quite sure that this political football will be kicked around a few more times before all is said and done.
“There was a lot of opposition and the drug industry has been doing everything it can to stop this,” said Vitter. “There was a concerted effort to kill this around the Democratic table last night.”
Added Vitter: “I don’t understand why I am not hearing about drug reimportation in all the health-care reform proposals.”
Sen. Vitter, let me tell you why: Because a vast majority of the American people want the right to buy drugs from Canada, but Big Pharma’s dollars carry more weight in Washington — with both political parties — than the will of the people.
Canadian pharmacies have been a political football since the Clinton Administration. At different times, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have both supported drug reimportation. Earlier this decade, Congress passed legislation permitting Americans to buy drugs from Canada; the legislation was never implemented, however, because of various loopholes.
In 2006, Democrats promised that if they gained control of the House and Senate, drug reimportation would finally become a reality. They did, and it didn’t.
In the last presidential race, both Barack Obama and John McCain expressed their strong support for reimportation. And yet, when push comes to shove, Canadian pharmacies are being pushed aside again. I’m guessing that if McCain had been elected, we’d see different excuses — but the same outcome.
So, after a decade of kicking this issue around, Americans still don’t have the right to buy prescription drugs from Canada.
It should be obvious by now that this issue has nothing to do with political parties. It has nothing to do with red and blue. The only color that matters here is green. And Big Pharma has enough of that to keep this football in the air until the public finally stops caring who wins the game.
Over the past few months, we here at eDrugSearch.com have been sometimes jubilant — and sometimes cautious — about the prospects of proposed legislation that, once and for all, would allow Americans to buy prescription drugs from Canada.
It should be a slam dunk. After all, President Obama is for it. Influential Republicans like John McCain are for it. Democrats, who control Congress, have been overwhelmingly for it for years.
And of course, by every poll I’ve seen, between 70 and 80 percent of the American people are for it.
Done deal, right?
I’m afraid not. In fact, it’s beginning to look like the legalization of Canadian drug sales to Americans will once again fall into the legislative dustbin, used as a bargaining chip by the Obama Administration in its negotiations with Big Pharma over healthcare reform.
According to the Wall Street Journal:
The chief lobbyist for brand-name drug makers said he has heard reassuring words from White House officials about the longstanding issue of allowing reimportation of prescription drugs from other countries…
As a presidential candidate, President Barack Obama endorsed re-importation, an idea the industry opposes. White House officials have told the industry if the larger health care bill passes, the cost savings will be so great that reimportation will be unnecessary, according to Billy Tauzin, president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).
There it goes — your right to buy drugs from Canada, lost in the negotiations with Big Pharma over the financial “concessions” they will make for healthcare reform.
Not everyone’s happy with this development, of course. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent and strong Canadian pharmacies proponent, told the Journal: “I will fight for this.”
Let’s see: Sanders, McCain and whatever handful of Democrats are willing to buck Obama versus … Obama and everyone else.
Good luck with that, Bernie.
Roll Call’s headline on the White House/Big Pharma story says it all: Score One for PhRMA.
A new U.K. report, “Prospects for Legalizing Drug (Re-)Importation to the United Statesâ€, has been released on the topic of U.S. citizens buying drugs from Canada and other Tier One countries, such as the U.K., Australia and Japan. The report promises insight and analysis on these key questions:
- Will the drug reimportation bill pass?
- Where would supplies come from?
- What would be the risks and savings for consumers?
- What would be the risks and opportunities for industry players?
The report, issued by London-based Report Buyer, presents itself this way:
With public and private payers across the country seeking to save every healthcare dollar to get through the economic recession, [Sen. Byron] Dorgan senses a ‘bit of a tailwind’ behind his proposal this time. His supporters are tackling their critics head on with claims that rather than it being dangerous the measure will actually improve drug safety…
Whether you want to protect your business in the US, assess the potential for becoming a player in what could be a new channel or a supplier to it, or are concerned about the knock-on effects in the 20 countries initially named as potential sources (inc. Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and the UK) this report is essential reading.
Unfortunately, the report is a pricey $1,600, so unless you have a specific business interest in this legislation, you’re probably better off waiting to see how things unfold rather breaking the piggy bank for this one.
Or you can just keep reading the eDrugSearch Blog. After all, we’re free.
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