Thompson Shifts On Drug Imports

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2004/05/05/thompson_shifts_on_drug_imports?mode=PF
Boston Globe

Health sceretary to suggest to that Bush accept bipartisan bill

By Christopher Rowland, Globe Staff | May 5, 2004

Adding election-year momentum to an issue that is popular among seniors, President Bush's chief healthcare official, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, said he would recommend that Bush not stand in the way of a bill to make importing prescription drugs legal.

"I think it's coming," Thompson said at a news conference about new Medicare discount cards. "I think Congress is going to pass it."

The House approved an importation bill last year, but it died in the Senate. This year, a bipartisan group of senators, including Democrat Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Republicans Trent Lott of Mississippi and John McCain of Arizona, is rounding up support that appears to be growing, placing more pressure on the White House.

Thompson's remarks yesterday were the first indication that the pressure is beginning to erode opposition within the administration. Until now, the Food and Drug Administration, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, has vigorously fought widespread importation of drugs, deeming it illegal. It has echoed the pharmaceutical industry's argument that allowing importation would undermine US prices and take money away from the research and development of drugs. It has also said that importation could compromise the safety of US consumers by allowing a channel for counterfeit drugs.

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Don't let this fool you. Thompson isn't growing a spine nor is he a pragmatist. He just always likes to be on the winning side so he can say, "see, I was right."

For years it was legal to import medicine from Mexico for personal use. Once 9/11 occurred, the border patrol stopped allowing it. Since our legislators outlawed that competition, prescription medicine prices have soared.

is a major chink in the armor, and one we really need to exploit.

bushco worked so hard to ram this thing through congress, and AARP sold out it's own membership, and i'll challenge you to find a senior or disabled person on medicare that actually benefits from this, with the exception of the very low income that will get $600 per annum.

the old folks are pissed.

,...and information about the ultimate beneficiaries (drug companies)!!!

The neo(cover-up)cons are profiteers at everything they do.
They LOVE money! Greedy bastards.

The problem is the "non-negotiation" clause with Big Pharma, and THAT'S what needs to be changed .... not the re-importation.

those price negotiations should land exactly where the pharma companies want them.

There is nothing wrong with reimportation. Many of our drugs are manufactured in other countries anyway. And countries like Canada have food and drug regulations as strict or stricter than our.

What's to negotiate if there is no alternative?

allow it to go on, they will make even less money... the Canadian phamacies will be taking a bigger cut than the pharm industries here can tolerate. the pharm industry will react by negotiating matching prices here and taking a larger overall cut by eliminating the Canadians.

FLIP-FLOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!