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Klobuchar Fights for Safe Drug Importation

December 9, 2009

Washington, D.C. – In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar spoke in support of an amendment she cosponsored with Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  The amendment would allow American consumers to safely import lower-priced Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs from other approved countries.  The amendment would give American consumers a break on prescription drug costs while saving the federal government and consumers nearly $100 billion over the next ten years.

“In Minnesota we’re not afraid of Canada and our citizens should be able to purchase cheaper medications from Canada,” said Klobuchar. “Giving people access to safely imported FDA-approved medication increases competition and gives families and seniors access to safe and effective prescription drugs.”

According to the Congressional Budget Office, this amendment is estimated to save the federal government $19.4 billion over the next ten years. Drug prices in the United States have been going up dramatically in recent years – a 9 percent jump in 2009 alone.
           
The amendment contains strong safeguards to prohibit counterfeit drugs from entering the system or other practices that would put the consumer at risk, and applies only to FDA-approved prescription drugs produced in FDA-approved plants from countries with comparable safety standards.

Link to Senator Klobuchar’s floor speech:
http://tinyurl.com/yhtqkw5