Carper Puts Hold on Dorgan Drug Import Amendment

[SpartanDem]

The health care reform drive is in a holding pattern as Senate Democrats feud over an amendment that would allow cheaper re-importation of drugs from countries like Canada.

Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, together with 30 co-sponsors, introduced an amendment that would allow for an influx of cheaper prescription drugs from certain countries -- all under tight Food and Drug Administration restrictions. Dorgan has fought for the change for a decade, and it was previously supported by President Obama when he was a senator and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel when he was a representative.

But Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., as well as at least one other Democrat, according to Dorgan, have put the brakes on any action on the amendment. It's up to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to settle the dispute in order to move forward on health care reform.

Carper defends his opposition by pointing to a letter he received earlier this week from the FDA laying out its concerns.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/12/10/democrats-feud-drug-imports-amendment-health-care/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%253A+foxnews%252Fpolitics+%2528FOXNews.com+-+Politics%2529


I feel so much better with people like Carper and Menendez protecting me from cheaper drugs.

[MNDemNY]

1. Carper...in the pocket of big Pharma!!

This whole fuckin' state is a moral hazard.

[karynnj]

2. These holds seem completely undemocratic

Just this Congress, Dorgan has tried a few times with this:

S.525
Title: A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to the importation of prescription drugs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Dorgan, Byron L. (introduced 3/4/2009) Cosponsors (29)
Related Bills: H.R.1298, S.1232
Latest Major Action: 3/4/2009 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Here are the 29 co-sponsors, Dorgan has -

Sen Begich, Mark - 3/4/2009
Sen Bingaman, Jeff - 3/4/2009
Sen Boxer, Barbara - 5/7/2009
Sen Brown, Sherrod - 3/4/2009
Sen Casey, Robert P., Jr. - 3/4/2009
Sen Collins, Susan M. - 3/4/2009
Sen Conrad, Kent - 3/23/2009
Sen Durbin, Richard - 3/4/2009
Sen Feingold, Russell D. - 3/4/2009
Sen Grassley, Chuck - 3/4/2009
Sen Inouye, Daniel K. - 3/4/2009
Sen Johnson, Tim - 3/4/2009
Sen Kennedy, Edward M. - 3/4/2009
Sen Kerry, John F. - 3/4/2009
Sen Klobuchar, Amy - 3/17/2009
Sen Kohl, Herb - 3/4/2009
Sen Leahy, Patrick J. - 3/4/2009
Sen Levin, Carl - 3/4/2009
Sen Lincoln, Blanche L. - 7/14/2009
Sen McCain, John - 3/4/2009
Sen McCaskill, Claire - 3/4/2009
Sen Nelson, Bill - 3/4/2009
Sen Sanders, Bernard - 3/4/2009
Sen Shaheen, Jeanne - 3/4/2009
Sen Snowe, Olympia J. - 3/4/2009
Sen Specter, Arlen - 3/17/2009
Sen Stabenow, Debbie - 3/4/2009
Sen Tester, Jon - 3/4/2009
Sen Thune, John - 3/4/2009

SUMMARY AS OF:
6/10/2009--Introduced.

Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to revise provisions governing the importation of prescription drugs. Waives the limitation on importation of prescription drugs that have been exported from the United States.

Prohibits the importation of a qualifying drug unless such drug is imported by: (1) a registered importer; or (2) an individual for personal use.

Establishes registration conditions for importers and exporters. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to inspect places of business, verify chains of custody, inspect facilities, and determine compliance with registration conditions.

Sets forth provisions governing the importation of qualifying drugs that are different from U.S. label drugs, including standards for judging such differences.

Prohibits manufacturers from: (1) discriminating against registered exporters or importers; (2) causing there to be a difference in a prescription drug distributed in the United States and one distributed in a permitted country; (3) engaging in actions to restrict, prohibit, or delay the importation of a qualifying drug; or (4) engaging in any action that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) determines discriminates against a person that engages or attempts to engage in the importation of a qualifying drug.

States that the resale in the United States of prescription drugs that were properly sold abroad is not patent infringement.

Requires the Secretary to educate consumers regarding prescription drug importation.

Sets forth provisions governing the sale of prescription drugs through an Internet site. Includes the dispensing or selling of a prescription drug in violation of this Act as a prohibited act under FFDCA.

Prohibits the introduction of restricted transactions with unregistered foreign pharmacies into a payment system or the completion of such transactions using a payment system.
MAJOR ACTIONS:

***NONE***

ALL ACTIONS:

6/10/2009:
Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
6/11/2009:
Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 73.

TITLE(S): (italics indicate a title for a portion of a bill)

***NONE***

COSPONSORS(31), ALPHABETICAL : (Sort: by date)


Sen Begich, Mark - 6/10/2009
Sen Bingaman, Jeff - 6/10/2009
Sen Boxer, Barbara - 6/10/2009
Sen Brown, Sherrod - 6/10/2009
Sen Casey, Robert P., Jr. - 6/10/2009
Sen Collins, Susan M. - 6/10/2009
Sen Conrad, Kent - 6/11/2009
Sen Durbin, Richard - 6/10/2009
Sen Feingold, Russell D. - 6/10/2009
Sen Grassley, Chuck - 6/10/2009
Sen Inouye, Daniel K. - 6/10/2009
Sen Johnson, Tim - 6/10/2009
Sen Kennedy, Edward M. - 6/10/2009
Sen Kerry, John F. - 6/10/2009
Sen Klobuchar, Amy - 6/10/2009
Sen Kohl, Herb - 6/10/2009
Sen Leahy, Patrick J. - 6/10/2009
Sen Levin, Carl - 6/10/2009
Sen Lincoln, Blanche L. - 7/14/2009
Sen McCain, John - 6/10/2009
Sen McCaskill, Claire - 6/10/2009
Sen Nelson, Bill - 6/10/2009
Sen Sanders, Bernard - 6/10/2009
Sen Shaheen, Jeanne - 6/10/2009
Sen Snowe, Olympia J. - 6/10/2009
Sen Specter, Arlen - 6/10/2009
Sen Stabenow, Debbie - 6/10/2009
Sen Tester, Jon - 6/10/2009
Sen Thune, John - 6/10/2009
Sen Vitter, David - 6/10/2009
Sen Webb, Jim - 10/8/2009

These are the only ones in Thomas, but I would guess that this could be a new one.

[slipslidingaway]

3. Carper defended the WH deal with PhRMA in the Finance Committee...

so many deals for the corporations, so few real deals for the people.

:puke:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJa_kTXad1Q

Links...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6622945&mesg_id=6622945

"In a stunning moment during the Senate Finance Committee markup Sen. Tom Carper defended a secret deal that the White House, Baucus, and PhRMA had reached. The White House has long denied the deal. Carper publicly acknowledges that part of the deal was that PhRMA would run millions of dollars worth of campaign ads in support of health care reform.

...Carper was speaking in opposition to an amendment from Sen. Bill Nelson and Sen. Jay Rockefeller. The amendment mirrors what Henry Waxman did in the House to close the Medicare Part D doughnut hole by requiring drug manufactures to provide rebates for the overcharging of dual eligible Medicare/Medicaid recipients. In July, Debbie Halvorson and Heatlh Shuler authored a letter to Waxman signed by 70 Democrats, asking him a rewrite the bill to " substitute the President's proposal" for his own, which reflected the PhRMA deal.

PhRMA's board approved the $80 billion in price reductions on June 19.

On June 30, the Hill reported that PhRMA began running ads in the districts of vulnerable Democratic House freshmen."


Forget about the Nelson amendment, what about the Obama HC plan to negotiate drug prices for ALL Medicare recipients.

Senator Carper Publicly Defends Secret PhRMA Deal In Exchange For Support Ads
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6622945&mesg_id=6622945

Could we save another 220 billion in addition to the 80 billion using VA prices as outlined in the Obama HC plan?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8667526&mesg_id=8667647

[slipslidingaway]

4. Drug Makers Raise Prices in Face of Health Care Reform

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/16/business/16drugprices.html?_r=2&hp

By DUFF WILSON
Published: November 15, 2009

Even as drug makers promise to support Washington’s health care overhaul by shaving $8 billion a year off the nation’s drug costs after the legislation takes effect, the industry has been raising its prices at the fastest rate in years...

...“When we have major legislation anticipated, we see a run-up in price increases,” says Stephen W. Schondelmeyer, a professor of pharmaceutical economics at the University of Minnesota. He has analyzed drug pricing for AARP, the advocacy group for seniors that supports the House health care legislation that the drug industry opposes.

A Harvard health economist, Joseph P. Newhouse, said he found a similar pattern of unusual price increases after Congress added drug benefits to Medicare a few years ago, giving tens of millions of older Americans federally subsidized drug insurance. Just as the program was taking effect in 2006, the drug industry raised prices by the widest margin in a half-dozen years.

“They try to maximize their profits,” Mr. Newhouse said.

But drug companies say they are having to raise prices to maintain the profits necessary to invest in research and development of new drugs as the patents on many of their most popular drugs are set to expire over the next few years..."

[SharonAnn]

7. FACT: They spend more on marketing and advertizing than on Research and Development.

And, most basic research for drugs is paid for by the American taxpayer. It's only after something looks promising that a drug company gets involved.

They're in it for the maximum amount of money. That's all.

[slipslidingaway]

8. No doubt you are correct :( n/t

[RC]

5. Ya know what?

Most of those imported drugs were make right here in the United States in the first place!
They're just being re-imported!

[slipslidingaway]

6. Why not have Medicare negotiate prices like the VA then we would not...

have to go through this process.

:shrug:

BARACK OBAMA AND JOE BIDEN’S PLAN TO LOWER HEALTH CARE COSTS
AND ENSURE AFFORDABLE, ACCESSIBLE HEALTH COVERAGE FOR ALL

http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issues/HealthCareFullPlan.pdf

"...Allow Medicare to negotiate for cheaper drug prices. The 2003 Medicare Prescription Drug
Improvement and Modernization Act bans the government from negotiating down the prices of
prescription drugs, even though the Department of Veterans Affairs’ negotiation of prescription drug
prices with drug companies has garnered significant savings for taxpayers.32 Barack Obama and Joe
Biden will repeal the ban on direct negotiation with drug companies and use the resulting savings, which
could be as high as $30 billion,33 to further invest in improving health care coverage and quality..."

[slipslidingaway]

9. kick n/t

[timeforpeace]

10. I did note this earlier but only later learned that Obama's blocking it also.