Senate rejects low-cost drug imports

Source: Associated Press

Senate rejects low-cost drug imports

By ALAN FRAM (AP) – 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON — The Senate has narrowly rejected a plan to allow Americans to import low-cost prescription drugs from Canada and other countries.

The amendment by North Dakota Democrat Byron Dorgan failed on a 51-48 vote. Sixty votes were needed to prevail.

Importing prescription drugs for personal use is a violation of federal law. Dorgan's amendment would have lifted the ban, allowing access to low-cost medicines from developed countries where the government limits drug prices.

As a senator, President Barack Obama supported drug imports, but his administration now echoes the objections of the pharmaceutical industry that it would cause safety problems.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i7pIgy2ugWrNRwWJXRsdLjuMiwwgD9CK294G6

TG2012

:wtf: An easy way to lower costs for prescriptn drugs. I just paid $200 for my mom's one 30-day prescription. Absurd.

Chinese drywall, toys, toothpaste, and pet food will continue to be imported in spite of safety problems.

:argh:

a little pressure.

:puke: Keep going and wrecking the middle class, you're doing a great job. :sarcasm:

I am so sick of our own government voting for themselves, not The People

NT.

I hope you accept this is the manner I mean it but I feel really, really sad for you today, watching one disaster follow another in your legislative assembly. If Little Lord Harper's crew tried that shit up here they and his assholiness would get tarred, feathered and chained to an effing semi at midnight Alberta bound. And God knows they get away with enough as it is.:mad:

I hate that the corporate media has permanently enshrined the filibuster super-majority and insists that everything in the Senate must pass by 60 votes (but only when Democrats are in control). I don't recall hearing this all the time when the Republicans ran the show.

And Obama must take responsibility for this. He's enforcing his own deal with big-pharma. 51 Senators were given cover (from us), but all of them knew this amendment would never pass.

On this issue, we have been sold out. I am disgusted.

:dem:

-Laelth

The corporate media only began lying about a "60 vote threshold" after the Democratic Party won control of the US Senate.

Alphabetical by Senator Name
Akaka (D-HI), Nay
Alexander (R-TN), Yea
Barrasso (R-WY), Nay
Baucus (D-MT), Nay
Bayh (D-IN), Nay
Begich (D-AK), Yea
Bennet (D-CO), Yea
Bennett (R-UT), Nay
Bingaman (D-NM), Yea
Bond (R-MO), Yea
Boxer (D-CA), Yea
Brown (D-OH), Yea
Brownback (R-KS), Nay
Bunning (R-KY), Nay
Burr (R-NC), Nay
Burris (D-IL), Nay
Byrd (D-WV), Not Voting
Cantwell (D-WA), Nay
Cardin (D-MD), Nay
Carper (D-DE), Nay
Casey (D-PA), Nay
Chambliss (R-GA), Nay
Coburn (R-OK), Yea
Cochran (R-MS), Nay
Collins (R-ME), Yea
Conrad (D-ND), Yea
Corker (R-TN), Yea
Cornyn (R-TX), Yea
Crapo (R-ID), Yea
DeMint (R-SC), Yea
Dodd (D-CT), Nay
Dorgan (D-ND), Yea
Durbin (D-IL), Nay
Ensign (R-NV), Nay
Enzi (R-WY), Nay
Feingold (D-WI), Yea
Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Franken (D-MN), Yea
Gillibrand (D-NY), Nay
Graham (R-SC), Yea
Grassley (R-IA), Yea
Gregg (R-NH), Nay
Hagan (D-NC), Nay
Harkin (D-IA), Yea
Hatch (R-UT), Nay
Hutchison (R-TX), Yea
Inhofe (R-OK), Nay
Inouye (D-HI), Nay
Isakson (R-GA), Nay
Johanns (R-NE), Yea
Johnson (D-SD), Yea
Kaufman (D-DE), Nay
Kerry (D-MA), Nay
Kirk (D-MA), Nay
Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea
Kohl (D-WI), Yea
Kyl (R-AZ), Nay
Landrieu (D-LA), Nay
Lautenberg (D-NJ), Nay
Leahy (D-VT), Yea
LeMieux (R-FL), Yea
Levin (D-MI), Nay
Lieberman (ID-CT), Nay
Lincoln (D-AR), Yea
Lugar (R-IN), Nay
McCain (R-AZ), Yea
McCaskill (D-MO), Yea
McConnell (R-KY), Yea
Menendez (D-NJ), Nay
Merkley (D-OR), Yea
Mikulski (D-MD), Nay
Murkowski (R-AK), Yea
Murray (D-WA), Nay
Nelson (D-FL), Yea
Nelson (D-NE), Yea
Pryor (D-AR), Yea
Reed (D-RI), Nay
Reid (D-NV), Nay
Risch (R-ID), Yea
Roberts (R-KS), Nay
Rockefeller (D-WV), Nay
Sanders (I-VT), Yea
Schumer (D-NY), Nay
Sessions (R-AL), Yea
Shaheen (D-NH), Yea
Shelby (R-AL), Yea
Snowe (R-ME), Yea
Specter (D-PA), Yea
Stabenow (D-MI), Yea
Tester (D-MT), Nay
Thune (R-SD), Yea
Udall (D-CO), Nay
Udall (D-NM), Yea
Vitter (R-LA), Yea
Voinovich (R-OH), Nay
Warner (D-VA), Nay
Webb (D-VA), Yea
Whitehouse (D-RI), Nay
Wicker (R-MS), Yea
Wyden (D-OR), Yea

There are some odd looking votes here. Something is fishy.

Nothing fishy...those guys know where the dollars come from.

This system is beyond corrupt.

....WANT us to die....let nothing stand in the way of corporate profit and their campaign contributions....

"Safety Issues"??!!!

Are we reimporting the same drug the Pharma company made? So theya re saying their very own drugs are unsafe? BS!

A good reporter would have asked just that. I would have loved to have seen them squirm around answering that question, and you know they would, too.

Big Pharma.

Sounds like you win and the rest of us lose.

Everyone should write their senator and tell him or her,I am sorry I want be voting today had to get anextra job to pay for my meds.

Source: AP





Roll Call: How they voted on drug imports plan
AP


By The Associated Press The Associated Press – 28 mins ago

The 51-48 roll call Tuesday by which the Senate rejected a plan that would allow Americans to import low-cost prescriptions from abroad. Sixty votes were needed to pass the measure.

A "yes" vote is a vote to pass the measure.

Voting yes were 27 Democrats, 23 Republicans and 1 independent.

Voting no were 30 Democrats, 17 Republicans and 1 independent.

ALABAMA

Sessions (R), Yes; Shelby (R), Yes.

ALASKA

Begich (D), Yes; Murkowski (R), Yes.

ARIZONA

Kyl (R), No; McCain (R), Yes.

ARKANSAS

Lincoln (D), Yes; Pryor (D), Yes.

CALIFORNIA

Boxer (D), Yes; Feinstein (D), Yes.

MORE.....




Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091216/ap_on_go_co/us_senate_rollcall_drug_imports

---

down it went.

Heys Dems, we've been punked!

along with the MediCare buy in

More and more it is becoming evident that there is less and less difference between the republicans and Democrats as Nader said

Yet another example of why it is time to exercise the 'nuclear option'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_option

The concept in a democracy of 'majority rule' is being subverted.

campaign against the bill, but still very mad that they voted this way. Particularly after having cosponsored a similar bill last year.

and that is probably the case for many senators.

Goddamn it, what the fuck do we elect these people for?

What the hell. Up is down, black is white, etc. God dammit, I am so fucking mad. >_<

made a deal with Big Pharma to protect them from price controls in exchange for them not going all out against HCR? After all of what has happened since Sunday these (supposedly) Democratic Senators STILL feel obligated to follow the President's deal? WHY WHY WHY!!!!!

I especially want to hear from those who still support passing this bill.

Two things first, a) I never considered anything less than HR676 as the right thing to do, so the package in its current form is for the circular file IMO. b) I'm not claiming any expertise on the depth or the details of these matters, I'm just an idealistic bit of rantin' rabble.

I see the nature of two party politics as not in the best interests of the population since the early 90's, both sides have temporary roles and agendas that simply do something of a dosi-do every so often to mix it up for the sake of us believing we have an effect on how things work. Each party wants to be in the majority and both will say anything to discredit what motivates the other side; not so much to be in a position to do the people's will but to be in the group the lobbyists need to shower more generously. Not exactly any potential for a win win where the people are concerned.

Obama sold me the day he responded to a comment made by Hilary about how to win at "the game". He said he wanted to be at the head of Washington to end said game. Buyers remorse is starting to set in. My guess about big pharma specifically? Well that gets to be something of a threesome. Executive branch has quite a mouth piece in the M$M, who has likely seen big jumps in their ad revenues due to marketing medications directly to the masses.

I see my corporatist fuckwads stayed true to form.

Why would he vote against his own personal economic interests?

Bayh is up for reelection this coming year.

..... industry.

Amazing, isn't it?

voted no - like I said, there are NO Dems we should support in '10 and '12

No surprise there.

Then PhArma is turned loose spending hundreds of millions to kill the whole bill.

I can't believe both my senators voted NO!
F......g unbelievable!!

crapped all over the taxpayers again.
I don't know why either one of those "ladies" even bothers to pretend to be dem anymore. They certainly never vote for the people much.
I will be working towards getting them both OUT of politics this next few years.

Because it would be so difficult to import these drugs, what with us being right on the fucking Canadian border and all. Fuck you Schumer and Gilibrand!

Whoever came up with the term 'throw the bums out' was being kind.

Shocking.

and vote .

Begich (Alaska), Lincoln and Pryor (Arkansas), Boxer and Feinstein (California), Bennet (Colorado), Nelson (Florida), Harkin (Iowa), Stabenow (Michigan), Franken and Klobuchar (Minnesota), McCaskill (Missouri}, Nelson (Nebraska), Shaheen (NH), Bingaman and Udall (New Mexico), Conrad and Dorgan (North Dakota), Brown (Ohio), Merkley and Wyden (Oregon), Specter (Penn.), Johnson (S. Dakota), Leahey and Sanders (Vermont), Webb (Virginia), Feingold and Kohl (Wisconsin)


Republicans who voted "no" (with most Democrats): Kyl (Arizona, Chambliss and Isaakson (Georgia}, Brownback and Roberts (Kansas), Cochran (Mississippi), Ensign (Nevada), Gregg (NH), Burr (North Carolina), Voinvich (Ohio), Inhofe (Oklahoma), Bennett and Hatch (Utah), Barrasso and Enzi (Wyoming).

Byrd did not vote.

I am disappointed in, among others, Rockefeller, who voted "no" but has otherwise been gung ho for GOOD health care reform.

Most bizarre: States with splits like New Hampshire, where the Republican voted with the Democrats and the Democrat voted with the Republicans. Also bizarre: True Blue Democrats like Feingold, Franken and Boxer's voting with both the Purple Snakes and the Republicans, while the likes of Brownback, Inhofe and Hatch vote with the Democrats.

More evidence that our country has truly jumped the shark.

I swear - he is reverting to his repuke roots....

maybe if the President acted a little more like when he was a Senator, things would be different.

I don't like the man but glad he did voted in favor.

Oh :kick: and recommend.

Anyway, really can't see what these "safety concerns" are. There are plenty of safety concerns with the drugs made here that you hear about in all those zillion commercials.

a few, but the wide majority voted "yes." The parties are blurring.

They did something right for a change???

Damn.

Good going, Dodd, don't think the Dump Dodd effort will forget this. I USED to like you.

about this HCR bill from the Senate constitutes "reform"????

Fuckers.