CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
A bipartisan group of senators on Wednesday announced a plan to introduce a bill that would allow the reimportation of prescription medicines from other Western nations where the drugs are cheaper. The bill is backed by Democratic senators Edward Kennedy (Mass.), Tom Daschle (S.D.), Byron Dorgan (N.D.), and Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), as well as Republicans John McCain (Ariz.) and Olympia Snowe (Maine). CongressDaily reports that the bill would allow U.S. consumers and formal organizations like state medical programs to buy prescription medications from Canada, the European Union, and other countries with modern drug regulatory practices. The bill also reportedly includes the levying of fees on foreign drug companies shipping medications to the United States to cover Food and Drug Administration inspections of the medications. Dorgan says he expects the bill to reach the Senate floor for a vote this year. U.S. consumers are frequently turning to foreign pharmacies and drug distributors, particularly those in Canada, to purchase medications that are sold at a fraction of the price charged in the United States due to price controls in the foreign countries. Some anti-HIV medications and cancer treatments sell in Canada for half the price or less that is charged in the United States. The recent decision by pharmaceutical company Abbott Laboratories to boost the price of its HIV protease inhibitor Norvir by 400% in the United States now makes the drug as much as 10 times more expensive for U.S. consumers than those in other Western nations with drug price caps. The Bush administration and the pharmaceutical industry oppose drug reimportation, even from other developed nations. They claim they oppose the practice because drugs shipped back into the United States cannot be guaranteed to be safe or effective.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
21+ steamy photos of Scotland’s finest gay men in Elska Glasgow
February 01 2024 10:07 PM
More Than 50 of Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Moms
May 12 2024 11:44 AM
Conjoined twins Lori Schappell and trans man George Schappell dead at 62
April 27 2024 6:13 PM
Latest Stories
Pete Buttigieg roasts JD Vance and his gay tech bro billionaire
July 22 2024 1:42 PM
The AIDs pandemic can be ended by 2030, but governments must act: report
July 22 2024 1:01 PM
Conservatives' first attack on Kamala Harris: Pronouns and accessibility?
July 22 2024 12:45 PM
Advancing equality during Disability Pride Month
July 22 2024 11:30 AM
Pete Buttigieg endorses Kamala Harris for president
July 21 2024 7:58 PM