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aeroplane
Cannabis Sacrament Minister
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 1472
Location: Valhalla
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 Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 1:01 pm Post subject: Drug import effort blocked |
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Okay, hello my fellow Americans. Here's further evidence of how your beloved politician is working against your best interests... Oops! I meant FOR your best interest.
Rather than allow you to import less expensive prescriptions that in most cases are made by the same drug companies in America, they have passed a new bill prohibiting that possibility. Yeah for you! They only have your best interest in mind!
| Quote: |
Drug import effort blocked
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar
Los Angeles Times
A proviso by Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., left, undercut a drug import proposal by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.
WASHINGTON — The Senate, clearing the way for action on a major overhaul of the government's troubled drug safety system, on Monday sidetracked an amendment that would have let Americans buy medicines from foreign suppliers but threatened to stall action on the larger bill.
The drug import measure, which was tacked onto the FDA overhaul, could have saved consumers billions of dollars, its sponsors said. But the pharmaceutical industry has argued that pharmacies risk being flooded with counterfeit drugs. And the White House, which also opposes importation, had threatened a veto of the drug safety bill if it eased restrictions.
That put the Senate's Democratic majority in a bind: Many favor direct drug importation, but the amendment threatened to stymie a reform of the Food and Drug Administration that is considered must-pass legislation.
So some Democrats straddled the issue by voting for the amendment but also for a proviso requiring the government to certify that imports are safe — a step the Bush administration is unlikely to take.
The 49-40 vote to approve the proviso, offered by Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., was seen as a major victory for the pharmaceutical industry.
Cochran's caveat "is clearly a poison pill," said Sen. Bernard Sanders, a Vermont Independent and a strong supporter of allowing imports.
Washington's Democratic Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray voted yes.
"Today is a day of lost opportunity," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., author of the import proposal. If it became law, U.S. pharmacies would be allowed to import prescription drugs produced in FDA-licensed facilities in other developed countries.
Dorgan accused the drug industry of wanting to dictate prices to American consumers. "Yes, we have price controls in America," he said. "Not government price controls, but price controls by the pharmaceutical industry."
The Senate went on to pass Dorgan's legislation by a voice vote — with Cochran's proviso added. In the past, even Democratic administrations have been reluctant to make sweeping declarations about the safety of imported medications.
"This fight is not over," Dorgan said. "We will be back." White House officials had said they would withdraw the veto threat if the Senate included Cochran's requirement.
Cochran said the problem of counterfeit drugs was his main concern. "Americans deserve continued access to safe and effective drugs," he said. "Serious problems exist with products from other countries."
Drug industry representatives make the safety argument as well. But they also worry that opening the United States to imports of prescription drugs would lead to government-set prices here. The Senate is expected to finish work on the FDA drug safety bill later this week.
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company |
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2003697772_rxdrugs08.html
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Brother Adam
Cannabis Sacrament Minister
Joined: 04 Feb 2005
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| Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 1:28 pm Post subject: |
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Oh yeah.....other countries can't make prescription medication. Only US suppliers are safe. This has nothing to do with safety unless you're talking about the safety of profits for pharmaceutical companies.
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“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”
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Police officers acquitted for beating a 64 yr old man recently in New Orleans. In the words of their defense attorney "all he had to do was comply"....and they wouldn't have fractured his face. |
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Ferre
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Grannymouse
Cannabis Sacrament Minister
Joined: 28 Apr 2007
Posts: 128
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| Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 4:37 pm Post subject: |
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Is it just ME or do these 'tragedies' (pet food tainting and Panamanian OOPS) 'happening out of the blue' seem oddly coincidental in both content and timing...of the voting on foreign importation of drugs????
Not only that, there is this flippy-floppy stance of the pres, NOW saying importation would be 'fine' as long as its safe. Couple of years ago he was jumpin-up-and-down blatently AGAINST IT!
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prntrkmt
Cannabis Sacrament Minister
Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Posts: 515
Location: southern California
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| Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 1:39 am Post subject: |
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| Rev. Adam wrote: |
| Oh yeah.....other countries can't make prescription medication. Only US suppliers are safe. This has nothing to do with safety unless you're talking about the safety of profits for pharmaceutical companies. |
To make the whole thing even funnier, Canada and Great Britain have much STRONGER laws in place to guarantee the safety of their drugs!
If anything, Canada and Great britain should be outlawing unsafe American drugs.
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