(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Sen. David Vitter made the following remarks on the U.S. Senate floor earlier this week regarding the status of drug reimportation.  Vitter will continue to bring attention to this crucial issue as the Senate begins debate on the nomination of FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach.  He maintains his hold on von Eschenbach’s nomination. 

The following are excerpts from Sen. Vitter’s floor speech:

“Mr. President, I ask my colleagues’ indulgence to speak on another very important topic, another amendment filed under this bill, and the topic is sky-high prescription drug prices and the ability to temper those prices and to bring them down to some significant extent through what is called reimportation, allowing all American consumers a fair, safe opportunity to buy prescription drugs from Canada or other countries.

I filed this amendment, Amendment 5151, on this Agriculture Appropriations Bill with my colleague from Florida, Senator Nelson.  And I thank him for all of his work and support on this amendment and this issue.

This follows up on work earlier this year when we successfully passed an amendment on the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill.  That was a really breakthrough vote particularly here on the floor of the Senate to allow Americans greater access to those safe prescription drugs from Canada at much more reasonable prices.  And our amendment here on the Ag Appropriations Bill –  we go a little further still to expand those opportunities for Americans to buy safe, yet affordable, prescription drugs through reimportation from Canada. 

First, Mr. President, let me step back and speak about the need for this in general because there is a significant need.  At a time when pharmaceutical companies are making record profits, the cost of prescription drugs, many which are necessary to keep seniors and other Americans healthy – or sometimes in fact alive – are skyrocketing.  And these are the very same medicines that are sold at a fraction of the U.S. cost a few miles north of our border in Canada.  With all that going on, again in the context of sky-high, record pharmaceutical company profits, Americans are deeply skeptical.  And Mr. President, I am here to say that Americans should be….”