Health-care reform: Drug imports finally get a vote after “furious” lobbying campaign

Dec 15, 2009 7:18 PM

The amendment to allow consumers to reimport drugs from other approved countries fell short of the 60 votes needed to pass. It garnered 51 yeas to 48 nays this evening, after holding up the Senate for more than a week. The proposal inspired an intense lobbying campaign by the pharmaceutical industry, which, according to some Senators, viewed the proposal as a breach of its earlier agreement with the Obama administration to contribute $80 billion to health care reform.

Consumers Union supports the idea, because it could save consumers money and put some market pressure on drug companies to lower prices. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the idea could save the federal government over $10 billion, and consumers a total of about $50 billion over nine years. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), the amendment’s author, says it will save consumers even more—upwards of $100 billion over ten years.

Lawmakers who support drug importation took to the Senate floor to complain about the lobbying effort. “We’ve had all kinds of deals going on,” said, Dorgan on the Senate floor today. Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), who also supports the amendment, has also complained about the lobbying effort, saying PhRMA “has been over here lobbying furiously" because the amendment "breaks the agreement that the White House made,” according to the Washington Post.

President Obama supported drug importation as a Senator and as a candidate for president. The White House says he continues to support the idea, but that the Food and Drug Administration would need to “continue exploring policy options to create a pathway,” to allow drug importation, the Post reports.

In other words: not now.

—Kevin McCarthy, associate editor

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