Burns said allowing importation of FDA-approved medicine is only one part of his plan to make prescription drugs more affordable and more available for all Montanans, but especially for senior citizens. Some prescription drugs cost substantially less in Canada and Mexico than they do in the United States.
Consumer advocates charge the law results in unfair price differences between countries.
According to Burns, the Democratic-controlled Congress passed the reimportation ban in 1988 out of concerns for counterfeit drugs and drugs that were improperly stored or handled overseas. Burns said he insisted on strong safety measures as a condition of supporting today's legislation. Burns said he has sponsored other legislation to make medicine more affordable and more available, including a plan to give Medicare recipients access to discount prescription drugs, and also a plan to give tax credits to low and moderate income families to buy health insurance. The Senate adopted the legislation on a vote of 74 to 21 as an amendment to the annual agricultural appropriations bill. The appropriations bill must still pass the Senate, and differences with the House ironed out, before it can be sent to the president.