[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 78 (Friday, May 11, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6013-S6014]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            VOTE EXPLANATION

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, due to my flight from Rhode Island being 
delayed, I was unavoidably absent for vote No. 151, the Cochran second-
degree amendment No. 1010 to the Dorgan amendment No. 990.
  Had I been present, I would have opposed the Cochran amendment. While 
I have supported the Cochran amendment in the past, the amendment this 
time seeks to amend a different and vastly strengthened Dorgan 
reimportation proposal. Senators Dorgan and Snowe have acknowledged the 
safety concerns that have been raised in the past and have sought to 
address them. Specifically, their amendment establishes a framework for 
the registration and regulation of exporting pharmacies and 
wholesalers. It also directs the FDA to initiate a process to approve 
identical medications as FDA-approved products in the United States. 
The amendment also requires clear labeling and documentation of the 
drug from the point of origin to the point of sale. I believe these 
series of measures greatly improve the Dorgan amendment, reduce the 
risk of counterfeit products entering the domestic drug supply chain, 
and assure the safety of reimported drugs. The Dorgan-Snowe proposal 
also meets the second test set forth in the Cochran second degree 
amendment--cost savings. According to Congressional Budget Office, CBO, 
estimates, implementation of prescription drug importation provisions 
would lead to $50 million in direct savings. However, the CBO also 
found that imposing the Cochran amendment would reduce those potential 
savings to zero.

[[Page S6014]]

  The time has come for Congress to move forward with a thoughtful and 
responsible framework for drug reimportation. In a free market economy 
such as ours, it seems unfair that we have permitted a system that only 
allows the manufacturers to reimport drug products. It is essential 
that we find ways to reduce drug prices for Americans and one approach 
is by allowing drug reimportation. As such, we can and should, with the 
appropriate safeguards, allow a more open prescription drug 
reimportation regime to take hold in this country. The Dorgan-Snowe 
proposal offers a reasonable and responsible framework for such an 
endeavor to begin.

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