Congress Should Approve Measure To Allow Reimportation, Los Angeles Times Editorial States
Negotiations on a final Medicare bill are "imperiled by partisan disagreements" over a number of provisions in the legislation, but the "good news is that at least one consumer-friendly reform may survive": a measure that would allow U.S. residents to reimport lower-cost U.S.-manufactured prescription drugs from Canada, a Los Angeles Times editorial states. According to the editorial, the reimportation provision may pass "even if a larger Medicare benefit dies" because state and local leaders, "whose budgets are being busted by drug prices," have lobbied lawmakers to support the measure. The Bush administration, a number of lawmakers and FDA Commissioner Dr. Mark McClellan oppose the provision over concerns that the FDA cannot guarantee the safety of prescription drugs reimported from Canada, according to the editorial. However, the editorial states, "Plenty of individuals and even municipalities are already importing from Canada," and the legalization of the practice "would allow for better safety regulations" (Los Angeles Times, 11/6).
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