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SMALL LIGHT IN HEALTH-FREEDOM CONGRESSIONAL CHALLENGES
March 14, 2009
PRESS RELEASE
SMALL LIGHT IN HEALTH-FREEDOM
CONGRESSIONAL CHALLENGES
March 14, 2009
The heath-freedom community faces many serious Congressional challenges in a Democratic-led Congress. But a small light of hope in the health-freedom of choice Congressional agenda has surfaced.
The Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act, S.525, was introduced by Senator Brian Dorgan and 24 other Senators. The House bill, H.R.1298, has also been introduced. The Senate bill is the same as the one Dorgan offered as an amendment to the FDA Modernization legislation in 2007. The amendment lost by just two votes. Both House and Senate bills allow re-importation of lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada and other foreign countries. The fact that 25 Senators are already signed on to S.525 is good "legislative karma" for passage this year or next, either separately or as a part of healthcare reform legislation. Related to this is that the 2010 Obama budget includes a general proposal statement on healthcare reform of a "strong interest in implementing this (re-importation) policy." In the 2008 Presidential campaigns, both McCain and Obama supported re-importation of prescription drugs.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) opposes the legislation because of "safety concerns." In a statement, a senior vice president at PhRMA, said, "The worldwide counterfeit threat is knocking at America's door and will soon be greeted if prescription drug importation moves forward." Of course, the missing information from the PhRMA position statement is that re-imported drugs would be FDA-approved drugs manufactured at FDA-inspected foreign facilities operated by big drug companies in foreign countries. FDA inspection does not guarantee end-use consumer safety of drugs manufactured and sold in the US, so drugs manufactured outside of the United States are at the same level of FDA safety risk. As usual, with PhRMA, it is not really about protecting U.S. consumer safety, it is about protecting the big drug company profits being generated from U.S. citizens, private insurance coverage, and from federal government insurance programs through higher prices than those in Canada and other countries.
The NHF has supported and supports passage of drug re-importation legislation that removes big drug company and FDA command and control over access to less-expensive prescription drugs for all Americans. NHF members and health freedom of choice advocates are strongly encouraged to contact their Congressional representatives to support these bills. The bills and petition letters to send to Representatives and Senators are available on the NHF webpage Government Affairs (Federal) (NHF Support column) at http://www.thenhf.com/government_affairs_federal.html.
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National Health Federation: Established in 1955, the National Health Federation is a consumer-education, health-freedom organization working to protect individuals' rights to choose to consume healthy food, take supplements and use alternative therapies without unnecessary government restrictions. The NHF is the only such organization with recognized observer-delegate status at Codex meetings. www.thenhf.com
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