Christopher Shays: “The debate tonight to allow the reimportation of FDA-approved drugs is obviously long overdue. The arguments that…”

“The debate tonight to allow the reimportation of FDA-approved drugs is obviously long overdue. The arguments that Americans will be put at risk and the pharmaceutical industry will be harmed is specious and reminds me of the debate on the use of generic drugs that we had years ago in States throughout America. Like the reimportation of drugs, the use of generic drugs was illegal and stayed that way for years and years because the pharmaceutical industry opposed it. Like the reimportation of drugs, we were told, generic drugs would harm the pharmaceutical industry and endanger individual Americans. Fortunately, we did not listen to those false arguments then, and we should not listen to them now, as they relate to the importation of FDA drugs. If Canadians, Germans, and others have the ability to buy FDA-approved drugs at a fraction of the cost, then Americans in this day and age should have the same opportunity. Please vote for H.R. 2427, the Pharmaceutical Market Access Act.”