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In Our View: Medicine From Canada

Cantwell, Murray criticized for blocking lower-priced drugs from across border

The Columbian
Published: January 25, 2017, 6:03am

While the vote was only symbolic and while the explanations make some sense, Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell deserve the criticism they are receiving after helping to block the importation of prescription drugs from Canada.

As Congress wrangles with the future of health care and as Democrats try to throw up roadblocks to slow the dismantling of the Affordable Care Act, the Democratic senators from Washington recently voted against a reconciliation bill to allow pharmacies, wholesalers, and individuals to import medicines. The idea, proposed by Sens. Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., was merely a non-binding procedural vote, but it has tapped into Americans’ weariness with high drug prices.

During debate in the Senate, Sanders noted how U.S. consumers are being gouged by pharmaceutical companies: The allergy treatment EpiPen costs $620 in the United States but $200 in Canada; and anti-depressant Abilify costs $2,626 for a 90-day supply in this country but $436 up north. “It is not acceptable,” Sanders said, “that the five biggest drug companies made $50 billion in profits in 2015 while nearly 1 in 5 Americans cannot afford the medicine that their doctor prescribes.”

All of which has led to questions about why Murray and Cantwell opposed the effort to allow U.S. consumers to purchase medications from Canada. Murray explained: “I strongly support allowing patients to re-import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada, as well as other steps to bring relief to the many families struggling to make ends meet right now. I’m committed to working with Senator Sanders and others to get this done in a way that maintains the safety assurances families depend on.”

There is reason to ensure that imported drugs meet the safety standards of this country. But the argument loses some weight when you consider that, according to Consumer Reports, 40 percent of medications used in the United States are manufactured elsewhere, and that 80 percent of the raw ingredients in pharmaceuticals come from other countries.

Meanwhile, critics have pointed out that Murray has received more than $500,000 in campaign contributions from pharmaceutical companies during her career in the Senate, according to watchdog group Center for Responsive Politics. Cantwell has received less than $75,000 from Big Pharma.

Pharmaceutical companies, predictably, have long fought against efforts to allow low-priced imports while benefiting from a system that does not include mass negotiations on prices — negotiations that are prevalent in Canada. In this regard, cost-burdened consumers may have found a kindred spirit in President Trump, who has said, “Pharma has a lot of lobbyists and a lot of power, and there is very little bidding. We’re the largest buyer of drugs in the world, and yet we don’t bid properly.”

The Senate vote has generated a level of attention that outweighs its impact. The amendment merely would have provided discretion for the Republican Budget Committee chairman to pursue lowering drug prices, including through importation. But the issue is one that impacts the daily lives of millions of Americans and is a critical concern.

Through government negotiations or the importing of drugs, Congress must work to provide relief for American consumers rather than appear beholden to the pharmaceutical industry. And we should expect Washington’s senators to seize every opportunity to demonstrate that they are on the side of the public.

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