No, this is not something to praise Wyden for.BERNIE SANDERS INTRODUCED [an] amendment Wednesday night, urging the federal government to allow Americans to purchase pharmaceutical drugs from Canada, where they are considerably cheaper.
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The Senate voted down the amendment 52-46, with two senators not voting.
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In a statement to the media after the vote, [Democrat Corey] Booker’s office said he supports the importation of prescription drugs but that “any plan to allow the importation of prescription medications should also include consumer protections that ensure foreign drugs meet American safety standards. I opposed an amendment put forward last night that didn’t meet this test.”
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This argument is the same one offered by the pharmaceutical industry.
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The safety excuse is mostly a chimera, as most of the drugs that would be imported from Canada were originally manufactured in the United States; they’re just cheaper there, because the Canadian government uses a review board and price negotiation to make drugs more affordable.
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Democrats blocked importation from becoming part of the Affordable Care Act in 2009, with over 30 votes in opposition, because they feared it would have pushed the pharmaceutical industry to oppose the underlying legislation.
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A second amendment Wednesday, authored by Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, would have allowed importation pending a safety certification [...]. It also failed.
...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.This is a well-worn tactic from opponents of importation to mislead their constituents, as they know such certification will never occur.
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