Robert Berry: “I am the only registered pharmacist in this Congress. And I know what I am talking about. Now, do not confuse safety…”

“I am the only registered pharmacist in this Congress. And I know what I am talking about. Now, do not confuse safety with the fact that FDA many times just simply does not do its job. Let me tell you what the real danger is. The danger is not getting or not being able to afford the medicine you have to have to stay alive, stay healthy, and have a decent life-style. That is danger. Now, this safety deal is bogus. I am not even going to tell you how bogus it is. On the front page of Roll Call this morning it says, ``The Food and Drug Administration has formed an unofficial alliance with the pharmaceutical industry to urge House Members to vote today against a bill that could flood the Nation with cheap prescription drugs from Canada and overseas.'' Now, would that not be a tragedy, that our people could afford the medicine that they need? This is a classic, cynical example of crony capitalism. An alliance between the Food and Drug Administration has existed for many years, and the pharmaceutical industry makes them nothing better than common thieves. And if you vote against this bill tonight, just think about what you are going to tell your constituents when you go back and say, I voted to keep your medicine five times more expensive than any place else in the world. I voted to let the pharmaceutical industry continue to rob the old people in this country. You go back and tell them that.”