[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 12247-12248]
[From the U.S. 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

[[Page 12248]]

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.
  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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