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