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More prescription drug bills
offer false promises
with risks, says Bailey
The second part of a
series of bills that seek to allow Washington to buy prescription drugs
from Canada was considered today in the House of Representatives –
legislation that
Rep. Barbara Bailey
says offers only false promises
with real risks to the health and safety of our state’s citizens.
House Bill 1316 would have
the state seek a waiver from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to
allow Washington to license Canadian prescription drug wholesalers for
importing of their drugs. Bailey, ranking member of the House Health
Care Committee, said supporters are seeking the waiver to skirt federal
law which prohibits the imports of foreign drugs, including those from
Canada.
"The FDA has consistently rejected similar waiver requests from other
states. And just this week in response to this legislation, the FDA said
emphatically said it doesn’t have any waiver authority – that there’s no
such provision in federal law," said Bailey, R-Oak Harbor. "Both Canada
and the FDA have said they cannot guarantee the safety of Canadian drugs
imported into the United States. And the FDA has been very clear that it
will not look the other way while we break federal law."
HB 1316 was approved
54-42, with Republicans voting no.
Despite objections, House
Bill 1219 also passed along party lines, 55-42. The bill would authorize
the state to set up a prescription drug purchasing consortium. Bailey
cautioned that this is another step toward putting government in charge
of health care by competing with the private sector.
"For several years,
Washington has tried to funnel drug purchases through the government –
and where are we now? Where are those savings that were promised? The
fact is, those savings never materialized," said Bailey. "This bill
would put the government in direct competition with drug wholesalers
like Costco or Wal-Mart who buy in bulk and pass the savings onto the
consumer. Instead of supporting these businesses, now we want to get
into the drug store business and become a Wasco or a Wash-Mart – and
compete against them? It’s a very bad idea!"
Bailey said the
pharmaceutical companies have begun responding to the needs of citizens
by offering free or discounted drugs through pharmacies and websites.
She noted since January, one website, Rx Help for Washington.org, has
had more than 113,000 inquiries and has identified more than 60,000
low-income patients who qualify for assistance. By comparison, the state
has had a discount purchasing program in place since December 2003 and
has only assisted about 15,000 Washington residents.
"We all are concerned
about the prices of prescription drugs. However, government competing
against private businesses is not the answer. Neither are
Canadian-imported drugs. Instead, these problems can be solved by
fostering a consumer-driven health care system in our state through the
private sector by adopting meaningful reforms that will lower costs for
all," concluded Bailey.
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For more information, contact:
John
Handy, Assistant Director: (360) 786-5758
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