Bill to allow pharmacies to reimport drugs passes Senate
The Oklahoma Senate backs a drug reimportation plan that would permit state
pharmacies to obtain U-S-made prescription drugs from Canada and elsewhere for
sale here.The Federal Drug Administration has opposed drug reimportation bills,
claiming they violate the Interstate Commerce Clause of the U-S Constitution.
Those measures mainly deal with allowing individuals to obtain reimported
drugs. Tulsa state Senator Tom Adelson says his legislation avoids that legal
question because it would require pharmacies to sell reimported medicines only
to Oklahomans in intrastate, not interstate, commerce. Most programs are geared
to allowing individuals obtain such drugs by crossing the border into Canada or
buying drugs online.
March 08, 2006
Democrats allege bad deal on drugs
Bay Area seniors are not saving significant money under Medicare's new
prescription drug program, according to a report released Monday by most of the
Bay Area's House Democrats. The report says Bay Area prices for 2004's 10
best-selling prescription drugs among seniors are 75 percent higher under the
new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit than under deals negotiated by
the federal government at other agencies such as the Department of Veterans
Affairs. Medicare Part D's prices also are 60 percent higher than those paid by
consumers in Canada; almost 5 percent higher than prices on Drugstore.com; and
almost 2 percent higher than prices at Costco, the report found. But
Republicans who shepherded the bill through Congress rejected a proposal to let
Medicare negotiate with drug companies for lower prices. The report proves
"what we've been saying since the debate on the Republican Medicare drug bill
began," said Rep. Pete Stark, D-Fremont, in a news release. "If you create a
privatized drug benefit and refuse to let the government negotiate lower
prices, senior citizens and people with disabilities will pay the price," said
Stark, who as ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee's Health
Subcommittee is particularly outspoken on the issue. "Instead of attempting to
set Medicare on the road to privatization, Republicans in Congress should have
worked with Democrats to establish a real prescription benefit within
Medicare."
March 08, 2006
