Steve Buyer: “I am very concerned about a highly controversial provision that allows for commercial importation of prescription drugs…”

“I am very concerned about a highly controversial provision that allows for commercial importation of prescription drugs from any country, regardless of the safety of their prescription drug supply, and includes no safety mechanisms to protect Americans from potentially harmful drug imports. My greatest concern is the number of counterfeit, illegal, and unapproved drugs flowing into the United States right now under a system which is closed to prescription drug imports. Today, Customs and Border Protection estimates that 273,000 prescription drug imports enter our country every single day--of which less than one percent are screened before being sent to Americans' homes. A 2003 report by the FDA found that 88 percent of the medicines imported into the United States were unapproved or otherwise illegal. Mr. Chairman, administration after administration, regardless of the party in control of the White House, has been unable to certify the safety of our prescription drug supply in a market open to prescription drug imports. I strongly oppose prescription drug importation and encourage my colleagues to support the Kingston amendment to strip the appropriations bill of the harmful importation provision.”