Senate blocks bid to allow prescription drug imports

How they voted

Here’s how the Kansas delegation voted in the 49-40 roll call by which the Senate voted to require U.S. officials to certify the safety and effectiveness of prescription medicines imported from foreign countries.

A “yes” vote was to adopt the safety and effectiveness certification requirement and a “no” vote was to defeat it.

¢ Sen. Sam Brownback (R): Not voting.

¢ Sen. Pat Roberts (R): Yes.

Washington ? In a triumph for the pharmaceutical industry, the Senate on Monday killed a drive to allow consumers to buy prescription drugs from abroad at a significant savings over domestic prices.

On a 49-40 vote, the Senate required the administration to certify the safety and effectiveness of drugs before they can be imported, a requirement that officials have said they cannot meet.

“Well, once again the big drug companies have proved that they are the most powerful and best-financed lobby in Washington,” said Sen. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican.

The vote neutralized a second amendment, later passed on a voice vote, that would legalize the importation of prescription drugs manufactured in Canada, Australia, Europe, Japan and New Zealand.

The maneuvering occurred on broader legislation to renew the FDA’s ability to collect fees from the drug industry to defray the cost of reviewing new drugs. Lawmakers have seized on the bill to overhaul the agency, including its handling of drug-safety issues highlighted in the wake of the withdrawal of the painkiller Vioxx.

Advocates of drug importation have argued for years that an existing ban is more a protection for the drug industry than a safety issue.

Overseas, drugs can cost two-thirds less than they do in the United States, where prices for brand-name drugs are among the highest in the world.