Thad Cochran: “the Dorgan-Snowe bill, pending before the Senate as an amendment, eliminates language from the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic…”

“the Dorgan-Snowe bill, pending before the Senate as an amendment, eliminates language from the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that allows importation to take effect only if the Secretary of Health and Human Services can demonstrate to Congress that it will pose no additional risk to the public health and result in a significant reduction in the cost of covered products to the American consumer. The amendment I have offered to the Dorgan-Snowe bill would restore this language. The Senate has overwhelmingly voted on three occasions to include a safety and savings certification provision in prescription drug importation legislation for the purpose of protecting the public health. Following passage of the safety and savings certification requirement, no Secretary of HHS, Democrat or Republican, has been able to demonstrate that importation is safe or will lead to cost savings. Both Secretary Shalala in the Clinton administration and Secretary Thompson in the Bush administration could not demonstrate that importation poses no additional risk to public health or would lead to significant cost savings.”