Byron Dorgan: “In these bottles is the medication called Lipitor. Lipitor is made in Ireland. It is a common cholesterol-lowering drug…”

“In these bottles is the medication called Lipitor. Lipitor is made in Ireland. It is a common cholesterol-lowering drug taken by a good many Americans. As you can see, when made in the plant in Ireland, it is put in these bottles--identical bottles--with a label that is blue in this case, red in this case, otherwise identical. The difference in this situation is that this blue bottle is sent to Canada from Ireland, this red bottle is sent to the United States. It is the same pill, same bottle, made in the same manufacturing plant, FDA approved. The difference? Well, the American consumer is told: You get to pay twice as much for the identical drug. You get to pay twice as much. It describes a serious problem of what I believe is the overpricing of prescription drugs in this country. We pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. I do not know of anyone in this Chamber who stands up and says: Let me sign up for that.”