Reimportation makes gains: Gregg working on bill that starts with Canada

[NewJerseyDem]

http://www.thehill.com/news/033104/reimportation.aspx

In a move that could have wide-ranging ramifications in this year’s healthcare debate, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) has begun drafting his own bill to allow for the reimportation of prescription drugs from other countries. The bill, which Gregg plans to unveil in the next few weeks, will be a narrower alternative to a version that passed the House last year.

Gregg’s decision will inject new energy into a debate that is becoming a major campaign issue, and reflects crucial support for reimportation by a small group of Senate Republicans who are putting pressure on their leadership. Some supporters say the new movement demonstrates that there is no way GOP leaders can prevent a vote on the issue. But others suspect GOP opponents will find a way to stall the bill and keep it off the floor.

Gregg told The Hill he wants to take up the issue “sooner rather than later,” but he has not scheduled a markup of the legislation. He said that the bill would first apply only to drugs reimported from Canada but that countries from the European Union could seek approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at a later date.

Gregg recently released a series of “principles” for his legislation at a meeting with reporters in Concord, N.H. The principles stated that individuals “should be able to legally import for their own use FDA-approved prescription drugs from pharmacies in Canada or other developed countries.” They also stated that individuals should be able to purchase the drugs over the Internet and that U.S. pharmacies also should be able to import approved drugs from Canada and other countries.