[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 89 (Monday, June 25, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H3494-H3495]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HIGH-PRICED PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GUTKNECHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to talk about an issue 
that is not a partisan issue, but it is a very important issue that we 
have not talked about much on the House floor in the last year.
  Last year, we passed an amendment to the House Ag appropriations 
bill, and ultimately was included in the omnibus bill that went to the 
President's desk, some language which clarified that Americans would 
have access to prescription drugs at world market prices.
  Unfortunately, Secretary Shalala said that her department would not 
enforce that legislation. Up until this point, Secretary Tommy Thompson 
has followed suit. So we are going to be forced to offer another 
amendment in the next several days.
  I would like to share with the Members tonight a chart talking about 
the outrageously high prices that Americans pay for prescription drugs. 
Now, unfortunately, this chart is outdated. We are having a new one 
made up. But even the worst news is that the differences between what 
we pay in the United States and what consumers around the rest of the 
world pay have not changed.
  For example, my 82-year-old father takes a drug called Coumadin. It 
is a blood thinner. It is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in 
the United States. A few years ago when we had this research done, the 
average price in the United States was $30.25. The average price in 
Europe was $2.85 for exactly the same drug in exactly the same dosage.
  Now, as I said, the numbers have changed, and I have a new chart that 
is available. We will have it in this form probably by tomorrow at 
noon. But Members who would like a copy of this chart can go to my Web 
site. It is simply gil.house.gov. One can see for oneself the 
differences that Americans pay.
  For example, let us take a commonly prescribed drug called Claritin 
that is prescribed for allergies. A lot of Americans take it. The 
average price for that drug in the United States is $63.06 for a 30-day 
supply. But that same drug, the average price in Europe, in the 
European Union, is only $16.05.
  Let us take another drug that is commonly prescribed here in the 
United States, Prozac. In the United States, the average price for a 
30-day supply is

[[Page H3495]]

$71.94, but that same drug in Europe sells for $44.10.
  Now, these are the same drugs, Mr. Speaker. They are made by the same 
companies in the same FDA approved facilities.
  Now the big pharmaceutical companies are arguing safety. They are 
saying we have got to worry about safety. That is a legitimate concern. 
I am concerned about safety as well. But remember this, a drug that 
consumers cannot afford is neither safe nor effective.
  Today in America, 14 million seniors have no prescription drug 
coverage. That speaks also to the some 53 million Americans who have no 
other health insurance. So we may be talking about as many as 57 
million Americans who were forced to pay full retail price for these 
drugs. They get no help.
  Now, some people say, well they have price controls in other 
countries, and that is true. In some countries, they do have price 
controls. But it is also true there are countries in Europe that have 
no price controls. Yet, we pay in America sometimes three times more 
for exactly the same drug.
  Now, Mr. Speaker, I am not asking for bulk importation this year, 
although I believe an amendment will be offered, and I will certainly 
support it. All I am really asking for is a clarification so that 
American consumers that have a legal prescription for a legal drug in 
the United States from any G-8 country or any NAFTA signatory country 
ought to be able to get those drugs from those countries at world 
market prices.
  I believe that if we could simply have access to drugs at world 
market prices, because I am a free trader, I do not believe in price 
controls, but I do believe that ultimately markets are more powerful 
than armies. If Americans have access to those markets, we will see 
drug prices in the United States come down by at least 30 percent. And 
30 percent last year or the last year that we have numbers for seniors, 
they spent something like $50 billion on prescription drugs. Thirty 
percent of $50 billion is real money even here in Washington.
  So I am not asking for the world. I am simply saying we need a 
clarification for our own FDA that law-abiding citizens with a legal 
prescription ought to be able to buy drugs at world market prices. If 
they want to use the Internet, that is up to them. Or if they want to 
go through their local pharmacy, I would certainly permit that as well. 
But we are not going to stand idly by.
  I ask my colleagues, if they could explain this chart and these 
differentials to their seniors in their districts or their consumers in 
their districts, then they have every right to vote against my 
amendment. But if they cannot explain this, I expect that they will be 
asked by seniors and others in their district why they voted against 
the amendment. It will be a simple amendment. We hope to offer it later 
this week. We appreciate our colleagues' support.

                      OUTRAGEOUSLY HIGH DRUG PRICES
                          [For a 30-day supply]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                       U.S.      Euro.
                       Drug                           price      price
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Allegra 120.......................................     $69.99     $20.88
Atarax............................................      28.62       4.20
Biazin 250........................................     113.25      61.74
Claritin..........................................      63.06      16.06
Coumadin..........................................      37.74       8.22
Glucophage........................................      30.12       4.11
Lipitor...........................................      52.86      41.25
Premarin..........................................      17.10       9.90
Prozac............................................      71.94      44.10
Zestril 5.........................................      25.92       5.52
Zithromax 500.....................................     486.00     176.19
Zyrtec............................................      50.10      17.73
------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                               

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