Minneapolis, MN, (December 2, 2016)—President-elect Donald
Trump is being urged to act
In an open letter to the President-elect from Lee Graczyk,
lead organizer of RxRights, and Daniel Hines, publisher of
TodaysSeniorsNetwork, RxforAmericanHealth and the American Rx Bill of Rights blogs,
cite his campaign pledge to support the importation of safe prescription
medicines from other countries, and that the U.S. pharmaceutical industry has
been instrumental in blocking legal importation even though untold numbers of
Americans already safely rely upon personal importation which is subject to
seizure and possible destruction, even of authentic medicines.
The letter is based upon a long-standing mantra of
supporters that a medicine that is unaffordable is, in and of itself, unavailable,
thereby leading to harm to the health and well-being the medicines are
developed to prevent.
The letter notes that “ Virtually all medicines the FDA
would deny access to are identical to those manufactured in FDA-approved
facilities outside the U.S.—the only difference being the label, which reflects
requirements of the medicine’s country of origin.”
The letter points out that hours of Congressional hearings
about the pricing abuses of Pharma have had no impact on the costs of
prescription medicines, all the while that
an October Kaiser
Health Tracking Poll found 74 percent of the American public believes high
prescription drug prices are a priority issue.
“Personal importation
is an immediate strategy to allow competition and access to safe affordable
medications,” the letter says.
A copy of the letter follows:
An Open Letter to President-Elect Donald Trump:
Dear Mr. President-Elect:
The nation anxiously looks to you for leadership on the many
challenges our country faces in the months and years ahead. One major challenge
is access to affordable medicine.
Before the 2016 election, you made a number of statements
regarding Americans' need for affordable prescription drugs. In particular:
·
You noted the U.S. pharmaceutical industry has
been instrumental in blocking importation legislation (even though untold
numbers of Americans already rely on importation).
·
You said you would support the importation of
safe prescription drugs from other countries.
An October Kaiser
Health Tracking Poll found 74 percent of the American public believes high
prescription drug prices are a priority issue. Prescription drug prices in the
U.S. are
the highest in the world. Americans often pay twice
as much or more than other countries.
Hours of Congressional hearings on outrageous prescription
medicine prices have not yielded a speedy solution for citizens struggling to
afford medicine. Personal importation is an immediate strategy to allow
competition and access to safe affordable medications.
Consider these points:
·
The Food and Drug Administration currently
allows personal importation of prescription medicines if they are unavailable
in this country or if they’re carried across the border in person by the
patient.
·
Virtually all medicines the FDA would deny
access to are identical to those manufactured in FDA-approved facilities
outside the U.S.—the only difference being the label, which reflects
requirements of the medicine’s country of origin.
o
The lobbying group met
with the President of the United States in closed-door meetings to
influence prescription policy related to the Affordable Care Act.
o
PhRMA and its front groups influence the U.S.
House of Representatives and the Senate through millions
of dollars of campaign contributions.
Your administration has the authority
to address the public health crisis created by out of control drug prices. We
urge you to act to explicitly legalize the personal importation of medicine
from licensed registered pharmacies in (Tier One) countries whose standards of
safety and efficacy meet or exceed those of the U.S.
Sincerely,
Lee Graczyk,
Lead Organizer
RxRights.org
RxRights.org
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