Sessions, National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) Hold Re-Importation Press Conference

U.S. Congressmen Pete Sessions (R-Dallas) today joined the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) at a press conference to introduce their new report on pharmaceutical re-importation, Shopping for Drugs. The NCPA report concludes that competitive shopping by consumers will yield lower cost drugs, making drug re-importation unnecessary. NCPA Research Manager Devon Herrick, who authored the report, concluded that patients can significantly lower their prescription drug costs by becoming proactive consumers. His report states, "[S]eniors, the uninsured and others who pay for drugs out of pocket do not have to wait for political solutions to the problem of rising drug prices. By becoming aggressive consumers, they can cut their costs substantially. In fact, the cost of some common drug therapies can be reduced by more than 90 percent using buying techniques consumers normally use to shop for other goods." Drug re-importation legislation is currently before Congress. H.R. 2427 would permit consumers to import prescription drugs manufactured overseas in any of 25 industrialized nations with plants approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Sessions opposes this provision due to concerns over the safety of such products when their origins cannot be ascertained, a condition often present when Internet transactions are the method of purchase. "As the House of Representatives considers whether to allow re-importation and re-distribution of pharmaceuticals manufactured outside of the United States, it is only fitting that we consider both the risks associated with that practice, as well as the alternatives that are available," said Sessions. "The price burden on American consumers - especially seniors - in the pharmaceutical market is certainly higher than the burden on consumers in other countries. Americans should not have to subsidize other countries' price controls," Sessions said. "However, no one can guarantee the integrity of drugs produced outside this country, not because deficiencies exist at FDA-approved plants, but because of the middle man. Americans should weigh this safety risk when purchasing their medications at lower cost from other countries. Alternatives to re-importation must be considered in light of the risks related to the authenticity and purity of re-imported medications," Sessions concluded.