23 Jul 2003 FDA Says “Drug Reimportation” Price Control Bill Would Raise Drug Prices $2 Billion

An article in today’s Washington Post begins:

In a strongly worded letter to Congress, the Food and Drug Administration has come out swinging against proposed legislation that would legalize reimportation of lower-cost pharmaceutical drugs from Canada and other countries.

The letter from Commissioner Mark McClellan to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce said the agency could not guarantee the safety of drugs imported from abroad, and that the bill would “erode” the FDA’s ability to oversee the nation’s drug supply.

“FDA simply cannot support legislation that exposes Americans to greater potential risk of harm from unsafe or ineffective drugs,” concludes the letter, which was delivered to committee chairman W.J. “Billy” Tauzin (R-La.) on Friday

The letter also estimates that procedures mandated by the bill to reduce the counterfeiting of pharmaceutical drugs would raise the cost of prescription drugs by $2 billion in the first year….”

Not to mention the postage from Canada, that great free-market state to the north some conservative Members of Congress like to emulate.