Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Herb Kohl (D-WI) are part of a strong bipartisan effort to legalize the safe reimportation of prescription drugs from countries like Canada, Japan, and the members of the European Union. The Senators are cosponsoring the Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act, introduced by Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), which would allow licensed American pharmacies and drug wholesalers to safely import prescription drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), giving Americans access to their medicines at lower prices.

"One of the major flaws with the new Medicare law is that it prohibits seniors who are struggling to keep up with health care costs from purchasing safe, FDA-approved prescription drugs from countries like Canada," Feingold said. "As I travel around Wisconsin listening to people's concerns, the high cost of health care continues to be at the top of the list. The strong bipartisan support for this bill makes clear that Americans of all political backgrounds want the federal government to support seniors, rather than the interests of drug companies, and make safe and affordable prescription drugs available to those who need them."

"As Congress continues to debate this issue, the reality is that drug importation is already happening. We've heard from many of our seniors in Wisconsin who, when faced with the choice of buying the medicines they need to keep them healthy or paying for food and rent, turn to Canada and the Internet to find drugs at more reasonable prices. Our seniors don't need a government that defends the status quo and sets up new roadblocks. They need an administration and Congress that work together to give Americans the price relief and safety assurances they need," Kohl said.

The bill has built-in safeguards to ensure that the drugs are safe for consumers. For example, the drugs must be manufactured in an FDA-inspected plant and include a "chain of custody" so they can be traced back to the plant. The legislation also includes measures to prevent the drug industry from circumventing the law. Individuals would also be able to have the medicines shipped directly to their houses via the Internet or mail-order from Canadian pharmacies registered with the FDA.

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