Byron Dorgan: “These are two pill bottles. They are a different shape, but they contain the same pill made in the same factory, made by…”

“These are two pill bottles. They are a different shape, but they contain the same pill made in the same factory, made by the same company. This happens to be a pill most of us will recognize. It is called Claritin. It is commonly used for allergies. This bottle of 100 tablets, 10 milligrams each, is sold in the United States for $218. That is the price to the customer in the United States. This pill bottle is sold in Canada. It is the same pill made by the same company, in the same number of tablets and the same strength, but this bottle costs only $61. The same bottle of pills is $218 to the U.S. consumer; to the Canadian consumer, $61. By the way, the Canadian price has been converted into U.S. dollars. One must ask the question: Do you think the pharmaceutical manufacturers are losing money in Canada selling it for $61? I guarantee you they would not sell it there if they were losing money, but they charge 358 percent more to the U.S. consumer.”