Drug reimportation too risky

Prescription drug reimportation is a complex issue that filters down to a simple choice: cheap drugs, or safe and effective drugs. Although the House of Representatives voted last week to allow reimportation whereby prescription drugs from foreign countries would be allowed into the United States with few safeguards but at reduced prices, I joined 52 of my Senate colleagues last week in a letter to voice my support for the latter choice: safety and effectiveness.

Nobody has a greater desire than I to make prescription drugs more affordable, particularly for our seniors and the disabled, who depend so heavily upon pharmaceuticals for their quality of life. I co-authored the 1984 bill that, in essence, brought generic drugs to the marketplace to become the force for competition and affordability that they are today.

But there are some products that simply do not belong in a virtual discount bin and should not be available through fly-by-night Internet vendors, and prescription drugs are at the top of the list.

First, reimported drugs are a threat to the innovation Americans and the rest of the world have come to expect from our pharmaceutical industry. Canada and other countries with lower drug prices generally import superior American products but impose price controls to keep costs down. However, it can cost as much as $1 billion to produce a new drug, test it, win FDA approval, educate doctors, and make the drug available to patients. No pharmaceutical company could go through this immensely expensive process without a chance to recover some of its costs, which will not be possible if we impose in America, however indirectly, Canadian-style price controls.

Second, but more importantly, the safety and efficacy of imported prescription drugs under this bill cannot be assured, no matter what the bills proponents may claim. The possibility of mistake or deception is too great. Already, the FDA has documented many cases of what appeared to be FDA-approved imported drugs that in fact were contaminated or counterfeit, contained the wrong product or incorrect dose, were accompanied by inadequate directions or had outlived their expiration date. These drugs would be at a minimum ineffective and could actually be harmful or fatal.

I doubt many people who support this measure actually know the negative effects it would have on the quality and safety of our drug supply. Briefly, the bill as it is written would: