Washington, D.C. –  Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) President Thomas A. Schatz today criticized Congress’ drug re-importation/importation amendments in the FY 2001 Agriculture Appropriations bill.

“While it is imperative that all Americans, especially seniors without drug coverage, have easy access to safe prescription drugs, amendments of this type are unwise and should not be considered,” Schatz said.  “These amendments would simply adopt European-style price controls and overturn the Prescription Drug Marketing Act that was passed to protect Americans from unsafe and counterfeit drugs.”

“Contrary to popular belief,” Schatz continued, “these re-importation/importation amendments will probably do very little to lower the cost of pharmaceuticals, particularly for seniors who need help now.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has indicated it could take up to two years before regulations are written to oversee this market. ”

CCAGW believes these amendments will likely cause the following negative results:

• U.S. drugs, manufactured for use abroad, will have to be repackaged and relabeled before being sold in the United States.  These are not inexpensive propositions and much of any perceived cost-savings will be lost once these tasks are undertaken.

• The FDA requires stringent Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) to make sure our pharmaceuticals are safe and effective before they are dispensed to the patient.  GMPs include how the drugs are handled during shipping and any re-importation amendment invites disruption on this important aspect of patient safety.

• The policy simply adopts the failed European model of healthcare that uses price controls and rationing to keep down costs.

• Americans will be exposed to more counterfeit drugs, ultimately raising health costs for Americans who take prescription drugs.

“These amendments will force the FDA and U.S. Customs to greatly beef up their roles at our nation’s borders to protect Americans from unsafe counterfeit drugs.  This means more tax dollars will be spent  unnecessarily,” Schatz said.

“While we understand Congress’ desire to ease access to prescription drugs for seniors, this is not the answer,” Schatz added.  “Congress should instead modernize Medicare by giving all seniors access to a variety of health plans that provide drug coverage, much like their own federal health plan.”

CCAGW is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.