Government
Advocates for breast cancer patients back drug reimportation
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Sept. 27, 2004
A bipartisan group of Congress members who support drug reimportation recently stood with advocates from the National Breast Cancer Coalition to put pressure on their colleagues to pass legislation that would allow patients to buy cheaper cancer drugs from Canada.
"Unfortunately, many patients are unable to afford the life-saving medications that my organization and others have worked so hard to make available," said NBCC President Fran Visco. "What good are groundbreaking research efforts like the Dept. of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program and the innovative work going on in academia and industry if the results are not affordable for the patients who need them most?"
Despite broad public backing and growing support in Congress for legalizing drug reimportation, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, MD (R, Tenn.), has made it clear that the issue, as well as three pending bills, will not make it to the floor before the November presidential elections. The Bush administration has opposed reimportation.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/09/27/gvbf0927.htm.
