Prescription drugs: reimportation spells relief.The cost of prescription medicines is one key component of our current health care crisis. In some cases, costs are so high that seniors are forced to choose between life-saving drugs and other necessities. The cruel irony is that many of these same drugs, manufactured in America, can be purchased at fractions of their U.S. prices in other countries. And it's getting worse. If immediate action is not taken, Americans may soon demand economically damaging artificial price controls. The market must be made to work. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Consequently, I continue to urge Congress to enact commonsense com·mon·sense adj. Having or exhibiting native good judgment: "commonsense scholarship on the foibles and oversights of a genius" Times Literary Supplement. policies to lower the cost of prescription drugs prescription drug Prescription medication Pharmacology An FDA-approved drug which must, by federal law or regulation, be dispensed only pursuant to a prescription–eg, finished dose form and active ingredients subject to the provisos of the Federal Food, Drug, . For example, legislation authorizing the reimportation re·im·port tr.v. re·im·port·ed, re·im·port·ing, re·im·ports To bring back into a country (goods made from its exported raw materials). re·im of lower priced medicine from safe and reputable sources in other industrialized in·dus·tri·al·ize v. in·dus·tri·al·ized, in·dus·tri·al·iz·ing, in·dus·tri·al·iz·es v.tr. 1. To develop industry in (a country or society, for example). 2. nations would offer short-term relief to increasing costs and encourage further reforms here in America. Vermont, for its part, will not sit back and watch as the cost of prescription drugs continues to rise. Nor are we content to simply ignore the law that elected officials are sworn to uphold. More than a year ago, Vermont sought a waiver from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. ) authorizing a pilot reimportation plan. The goal of the project is to demonstrate how a plan could be safely implemented and serve as a model for other states. The FDA has refused to approve the program. Consequently, Vermont filed suit against the FDA in U.S. District Court, becoming the first state in the nation to challenge them for blocking a responsible proposal. We argue in our filing that their position is "arbitrary and capricious capricious adv., adj. unpredictable and subject to whim, often used to refer to judges and judicial decisions which do not follow the law, logic or proper trial procedure. A semi-polite way of saying a judge is inconsistent or erratic. , and otherwise unreasonable." Moreover, it is in direct violation of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (Pub.L. 108-173, 117 Stat. 2066, also called Medicare Modernization Act or MMA) is a law of the United States which was enacted in 2003. of 2003, which requires the creation of rules permitting reimportation by wholesalers and pharmacists. The Act also orders the FDA to issue guidance describing the circumstances under which they will grant waivers allowing reimportation for personal use--neither of which has been done. It is my hope that Vermont's leadership will result in a legal precedent that benefits every Vermonter, and every American. Nevertheless, we must remember that the cost of prescription drugs is one piece of the problem, and reimportation one part of the solution. Congress must take action to increase competition among manufacturers, speed the approval of generic drugs, preserve our ability to pool purchases, and protect state pharmaceutical programs impacted by the Medicare law. The American people An American people may be:
While reimportation is a workable short-term solution, reforming the American pharmaceutical marketplace as a whole must be a top priority. The ultimate goal must be to get the best possible market prices from our pharmacies here at home. VOTER LINKS * http://www.vermont.gov/governor/priorities/priorities.html BY JAMES H. DOUGLAS Governor of Vermont The Governor of Vermont is the executive magistrate of the U.S. state of Vermont. The governor is elected biennialy in even numbered years by direct voting for a term of two years. Vermont is one of only two U.S. |
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