IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 75
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the illegal importation of prescrip-
tion drugs severely undermines the regulatory protections afforded to 
United States consumers, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 17, 2005
Mr. MEEKS of New York submitted the following concurrent resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition 
to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently 
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi-
sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the illegal importa-
tion of prescription drugs severely undermines the regu-
latory protections afforded to United States consumers, 
and for other purposes.
Whereas restrictive foreign price controls artificially lower the 
cost of prescription drugs in other countries, motivating 
United States consumers to purchase these drugs illegally 
from Canada and other foreign countries; 
Whereas many health experts have concluded that the illegal 
importation of prescription drugs will increase the flow of 
counterfeit drugs, cheap foreign copies of drugs approved 
by the Food and Drug Administration, expired and con-
•HCON 75 IH 
taminated drugs, and drugs stored under inappropriate 
and unsafe conditions; 
Whereas recent public opinion polls show that Americans 
overwhelmingly think that there are numerous safety con-
cerns about drugs being brought into the country that 
are not subject to the same safety standards United 
States consumers are accustomed to; 
Whereas the illegal importation of prescription drugs severs 
the pharmacist-patient relationship; 
Whereas the illegal importation of prescription drugs under-
mines the important doctor-patient relationship and ig-
nores the crucial medical history of the patient; 
Whereas the illegal importation of prescription drugs has 
caused and will continue to cause severe medical com-
plications and life-threatening conditions; 
Whereas the illegal importation of prescription drugs in-
creases safety concerns that have been voiced by numer-
ous Federal officials (including 2 former Secretaries of 
Health and Human Services and 10 former Food and 
Drug Commissioners), the United States Custom Service, 
the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Centers 
for Medicare & Medicaid Services; 
Whereas safe and effective medication management by phar-
macists is enormously compromised when prescription 
drugs are treated as just another retail commodity, as 
opposed to powerful medications that cure illnesses; 
Whereas United States consumers are unlikely to save money 
from the illegal importation of prescription drugs because 
the intended cost-savings will be absorbed by fees charged 
by exporters and foreign pharmacists, but United States
•HCON 75 IH 
consumers will certainly bear all the risks of these drugs 
with unknown origins; 
Whereas Canada’s Patented Medicine Pricing Review Board 
sets artificial price controls on new, innovative prescrip-
tion drugs that have a negative economic impact on 
United States consumers and the United States pharma-
ceutical industry; 
Whereas Canada’s Patented Medicine Pricing Review Board, 
from an international trade perspective, undermines the 
goals of the North American Free Trade Agreement and 
shifts the entire burden of funding future research and 
development costs onto United States consumers; 
Whereas a December 2004 study on pharmaceutical price 
controls by the Department of Commerce, International 
Trade Administration, found that United States con-
sumers would benefit from the elimination of foreign 
price controls; 
Whereas the study was mandated under section 1123 of the 
Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Mod-
ernization Act of 2003 (Public Law 108–173); 
Whereas a December 2004 report by the Health and Human 
Services task force on drug importation found that when 
consumers order prescription drugs over the Internet 
from international sources, they generally receive drugs 
that do not have regulatory assurances of equivalence to 
products of the United States or safety and security in 
the distribution process; 
Whereas because over 50 percent of all prescriptions in the 
United States are filled by generic drugs and on average 
generic drugs are priced 50 percent cheaper in the 
United States, consumers will not necessarily save money
•HCON 75 IH 
by purchasing medicines from Canada or other foreign 
countries; and 
Whereas despite significant efforts, including joint efforts 
with United States Customs and Border Protection and 
import alerts or bulletins, the Food and Drug Adminis-
tration currently does not have sufficient resources to en-
sure adequate inspection of current levels and categories 
of personal shipments of prescription drugs entering the 
United States: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—
(1) the illegal importation of prescription drugs 
severely undermines the regulatory protections af-
forded to United States consumers; 
(2) the President should take appropriate ac-
tion to prevent the illegal importation of prescription 
drugs from Canada or any other foreign country as 
a matter of national security and consumer protec-
tion; 
(3) the United States Trade Representative 
should take immediate action to correct the inequi-
ties and discrimination caused by Canada’s Patented 
Medicine Pricing Review Board; 
(4) the pharmaceutical industry and the health 
care community should begin a nationwide edu-
cational awareness program for United States con-
sumers regarding the dangers of imported drugs;
•HCON 75 IH 
(5) the pharmaceutical industry and the health 
care community should work to ensure that all citi-
zens have access to prescription drugs with the same 
level of safety and efficacy guaranteed under the 
current system of regulation; 
(6) it is essential that United States patients 
have access to affordable prescriptions drugs; 
(7) total savings to consumers from legalized 
drug importation under a commercial system would 
be small relative to total drug spending in the 
United States, about 1 to 2 percent; 
(8) importation of drugs could result in between 
4 to 18 fewer new drugs being introduced per dec-
ade at a substantial cost to society; and 
(9) deregulating foreign prices would increase 
the flow of new drugs to consumers in the United 
States.
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