Let's not over-react to the death of drug-reimportation.The White House has said it's not necessary

[mcablue]

As reported here a few moments ago, the drug importation amendments have been defeated. In related news...

CHICAGO TRIBUNE (12-11-09): The industry is so powerful in the halls of Congress and in its ability to buy advertising that its support was considered a key to passing a health care overhaul. That is why the White House earlier this year negotiated a controversial deal to limit the financial impact of the health bill on the drug industry in exchange for its support for the legislation.

The drug import amendment was not part of that negotiation, but it was widely believed that the industry would oppose the bill if it were included. Around the time of those negotiations, the White House issued a statement saying that importation legislation would not be necessary if health overhaul legislation were enacted, because the overhaul would result in generally lower costs.

And I tend to agree. :sarcasm: The Dorgan amendment would only have saved us 100 billion dollars or so in prices

NPR (12-14-2009):"The Congressional Budget Office has estimated there could be more than $100 billion in savings to U.S. prescription drug buyers over the next decade — $20 billion of which would be for the federal government — if cheaper prescription drugs from abroad were allowed to compete in the U.S. market."

More on the White House position on drug importation.

: "Mr. Tauzin said the White House had tracked the negotiations throughout, assenting to decisions to move away from ideas like the government negotiation of prices or the importation of cheaper drugs from Canada. The $80 billion in savings would be over a 10-year period. “80 billion is the max, no more or less,” he said. “Adding other stuff changes the deal.”"

[FLyellowdog]

1. Drug Importation is already happening.

Medco uses Canadian produced generic drugs for it's American prescriptions now. I'll just bet others in the industry do as well. Check out the manufacturer of any generic drugs you take. Some of these companies are Canadian-based.

[provis99]

2. buying drugs in Mexico and importing them to the states is illegal, too.

[FLyellowdog]

4. But what the industry is already doing apparently isn't. nt

[timeforpeace]

5. The OP quite clearly states drug re-importation, not importation. Several times in fact. Do you

understand the difference?

[kdmorris]

3. The FDA (under Obama) shut down one of two dessicated thyroid producers

And the companies that produce Armour and Nature-throid/Westhroid (the only two dessicated thyroid prescription drugs left) are struggling to keep up. Consequently, anyone taking these medications has not been able to get them since August, unless they are very lucky.

So, many turned to Canada, where one could still get Erfa, a dessicated thyroid prescription medication. And the customs officials have been confiscating those drugs.

This... I don't know how the hell I cannot react to it. It APPEARS that our government is trying to stop the production of dessicated thyroid prescription medications and force us all to take shit like $ynthroid.

So, now, it's not just CHEAPER drugs, but having the choice of being able to get UNAVAILABLE drugs.

And it's bullshit. All the Senators that voted for that can kiss my ass. I'm not going back to $ynthroid. That crap never worked for me, no matter that Abbott Labs keeps funding schools that turn out Endocrinologists.

Maybe that's an overreaction, but they can still kiss my ass.

[IndianaGreen]

6. Obama made that deal with PhRMA

On the campaign trail, Barack Obama vowed to take on the drug industry by allowing Americans to import cheaper prescription medicine. "We'll tell the pharmaceutical companies 'thanks, but no, thanks' for the overpriced drugs -- drugs that cost twice as much here as they do in Europe and Canada," he said back then.

On Tuesday, the matter came to the Senate floor -- and President Obama forgot the "no, thanks" part. Siding with the pharmaceutical lobby, the administration successfully fought against the very idea Obama had championed.

"It's got to be a little awkward," said Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.).

It's even more awkward for millions of Americans who are forced to pay up to 10 times the prices Canadians and Europeans pay for identical medication, often produced in the same facilities by the same manufacturers, simply because the U.S. government refuses to rein in drug prices.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/15/AR2009121504196.html?hpid=topnews