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Contacts:

Bryan Anderson (Gutknecht) 507-252-9841               

Cecelia Prewett (Emanuel) 202.226.7639        

Joanna Kuebler (Brown) 202-225-6285                      

Annie Reed (Northup) 202-225-0190

Kate Cyrul (DeLauro) 202-225-3661

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 26, 2005

# Senators, Representatives unveil Rx market access bill

***Companion Rx importation bills offered in both bodies***

** **

*Washington, DC* -- U.S. Senators David Vitter, Ken Salazar, Jim DeMint
and John Thune and U.S. Representatives Gil Gutknecht, Rahm Emanuel,
Anne Northup, Sherrod Brown and Rosa DeLauro today unveiled their
companion Pharmaceutical Market Access Act of 2005 bills during a press
conference on Capitol Hill.

 

The legislation allows American consumers, pharmacists and wholesalers
access to Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved prescription drugs
from FDA-approved facilities in 25 industrialized countries. The bill
strengthens current law by requiring additional safety provisions,
including mandatory counterfeit-proof packaging and chain of custody
documentation. The House passed similar legislation during the 108^th^
Congress.

 

"For too long, American consumers have been held captive in a market
that forces them to pay significantly more for the same prescription
drugs as our friends in Canada and Europe," **Gutknecht** said. "Opening
pharmaceutical markets is an idea whose time has come. By opening
markets, American consumers will save billions of dollars. I'm pleased
to join members of the both the House and Senate to push for a vote on
these important measures."

 

"I am proud to be part of this bipartisan group introducing strong,
effective importation legislation in the House and Senate," **Emanuel**
said. "If we could fit them all in the room, we'd have the 200 million
Americans who support importation standing here today with us. No matter
what the means, we all have one end in mind -- to legalize prescription
drug importation, open our captive prescription drug market, and help
make lifesaving prescription drugs available to Americans at prices they
can afford."

 

"I'm pleased to see the momentum building once again in the House and
more than ever in the Senate toward implementing a solid importation
bill," **Northup** said. "The same system which allows drug
manufacturers to safely import prescription drugs from around the world
should be made available to *all* Americans. For the Americans who
depend on these life-saving drugs, this legislation cannot come soon
enough."

** **

**DeLauro** said, "Seniors in Connecticut and all over the country are
increasingly turning to countries like Canada where they can get their
drugs at half or even a third of the cost. They have been waiting a long
time for meaningful action from Congress on this issue so that imports
of FDA-approved prescription drugs from Canada and other developed
countries can safely come into this country."

 

"There's been eighteen months of discussion on this issue. Every
additional day takes money out of consumers' pockets. This bill is an
opportunity to get the job done. There is no excuse for further delay,"
**Brown** concluded.