Full access
Government News
Published Online: 2 April 2004

Senate Committee Backs Drug Reimportation

Kate MulliganAuthors Info & Affiliations
Publication: Psychiatric News
Volume 39, Number 7
https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.39.7.0006a
The Senate Budget Committee voted 14-8 to approve an amendment to the Senate’s Fiscal 2005 budget resolution to allow for “the safe reimportation of FDA-approved prescription drugs” from Canada.
Five Republican senators supported the amendment, which was introduced by Sen. Deborah Stabenow (D-Mich.). Stabenow said that the amendment would save government-administered health programs more than $4.5 billion over five years, according to the Web site www.kaisernetwork.org on March 5.
According to the March 8 “Washington Health Policy Week in Review” of the Commonwealth Fund, political analyst Alec Vachon said, “I’m saying it’s at least even money now that a bill gets to the floor. If it gets to the floor, it will pass overwhelmingly. . . . ”
The action is significant because the House of Representatives had already passed legislation (HR 2427) on July 25 requiring the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to design and implement a system to grant individuals, pharmacists, and wholesalers in the United States access to FDA-approved drugs from FDA-approved facilities in Canada and other specified foreign countries.
That bill eliminated the requirement that the secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) certify that imported or reimported drugs pose “no additional risk” to Americans. The last two HHS secretaries have refused to make that certification, thus making reimportation illegal.
HR 2427 became part of HR 1, the Medicare bill, and was dropped in negotiations with the Senate about the final Medicare act.
In a July 16 letter to Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.), chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, APA Medical Director James H. Scully Jr., M.D., urged the House to reject HR 2427 because of concerns about patient safety.
In another sign of movement toward reimportation, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson told members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies that he could support reimportation from Canada “if Congress put strict conditions on the practice.”
The article “Activists: Budget Plan Would Cut $11 Billion From Medicaid” in the “Washington Health Policy Week in Review” is posted online at www.cmwf.org/programs/healthbeat12.asp. ▪

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Psychiatric News
Psychiatric News
Volume 39 • Number 7 • April 2, 2004
Pages: 6 - 13

History

Published online: 2 April 2004
Published in print: April 2, 2004

Notes

A Senate vote moves legal drug reimportation closer to reality.

Authors

Affiliations

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.

Format
Citation style
Style
Copy to clipboard
Tips for downloading citations

There are no citations for this item

View Options

View options

Get Access

Login options

Already a subscriber? Access your subscription through your login credentials or your institution for full access to this article.

Personal login Institutional Login Open Athens login

Not a subscriber?

Subscribe Now / Learn More

PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5-TR® library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.

Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Share article link

Share

×

As described within the American Psychiatric Association (APA)'s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, this website utilizes cookies, including for the purpose of offering an optimal online experience and services tailored to your preferences. Please read the entire Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. By closing this message, browsing this website, continuing the navigation, or otherwise continuing to use the APA's websites, you confirm that you understand and accept the terms of the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, including the utilization of cookies.