Byron Dorgan: “If you think the U.S. consumer ought to pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs, then you ought to…”

“If you think the U.S. consumer ought to pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs, then you ought to vote against my amendment. If you believe it is unfair that we pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs and we ought to have downward pressure on drug prices, vote for my amendment. Don't believe this nonsense about counterfeit drugs and transshipments. It is not the case. Let me describe why. Let me do it in just the circumstance of one transaction. A pharmacist from Grand Forks, ND, under this new law, would be able to go to Winnipeg, Canada, and buy FDA-approved prescription drugs only from a licensed pharmacist or a licensed distributor in Canada. The Congressional Research Service has researched both chains of supply and said they are almost identical in the United States and Canada. We do not hear questions about drug safety in Canada. Why? Because they have exactly the same system we have from the pharmaceutical manufacturer to the distributor to the pharmacist. The control chain of supply of the same pill put in the same bottle by the same manufacturer assures safety in Canada and safety in the United States.”