Webb Vows More Affordable Prescription Drugs for American Consumers

Statement

Webb Vows More Affordable Prescription Drugs for American Consumers

The following is a statement from Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) in response to today's passage of the FDA reauthorization bill, which included a provision that greatly weakened a bipartisan plan for safe prescription drug importation. The Senator served as a co-sponsor of that plan, introduced by Senators Dorgan and Snowe, to provide access to more affordable prescription drugs.

"All Americans deserve access to quality, affordable health care and medications —period. This is a question of basic fairness. With 47 million uninsured Americans, it is high time that healthcare legislation focuses on consumers and not corporate profits.

"My Senate colleagues and I attempted to re-focus our nation's priorities this week by passing a measure that would permit the safe importation of lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada, the E.U., Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. But, Senator Cochran's amendment effectively gutted this important cost-saving provision. Unfortunately, hard-working Americans will continue to pay the price.

"Americans currently pay, on average, twice as much as most other countries in the world -- at a time when the U.S. pharmaceutical companies are turning profits in the tens of billions. The United States can and must do better. I will continue the fight in Congress for more affordable prescription drugs for the hard-working people of this country."

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