Contact:
Ethnie Groves, Governor’s Office, 608-261-2156
Future Trade Deals Should Protect Prescription Drug
Affordability, Governor Says
Governor Jim Doyle today called on President Bush not to
negotiate any more trade agreements that prevent Americans from buying safe,
lower price, reimported prescription drugs.
A July 12 article in The New York Times revealed that the
Australia trade agreement negotiated by the Bush administration would let
pharmaceutical companies limit the importation of prescription drugs to the
U.S. That trade agreement will serve as a model for future Bush
Administration trade agreements and strengthen the hold pharmaceutical
companies have over the high costs of prescription drugs.
“It’s unfortunate that instead of supporting free trade that
would help Americans who are struggling to afford their medicine, the
President is adopting trade restrictions that let drug companies prevent
citizens from getting access to safe, affordable prescription drugs,”
Governor Doyle said. “I urge the Administration to ensure that future trade
deals protect our citizens from price gouging and heavy-handed trade
practices by the drug companies.”
The Bush Administration has continually opposed efforts by
Wisconsin and other states to give citizens access to safe, lower price
prescription drugs. Only recently have lawmakers realized that the
Administration position “could have major implications for health policy and
programs in the United States,” according to The New York Times.
“We’ve made real progress in Wisconsin to provide safe and
affordable prescription drugs to citizens,” Governor Doyle said. “But the
Bush Administration continues to fight us every step of the way and this is
just one more example of that.”
Governor Doyle also praised the U.S. House of
Representatives for voting to allow Americans to reimport prescription
drugs. The provision was included in the annual spending bill for the
Agriculture Department and the Food and Drug Administration, but must still
be approved by the Senate.
Governor Doyle has been a national leader in finding ways to
provide affordable prescription drugs to citizens, particularly through the
state’s prescription drug website, www.drugsavings.wi.gov, that allows
citizens to purchase safe and affordable prescription drugs from Canada.
Governor Doyle has also called on Attorney General John Ashcroft to
investigate possible antitrust violations by major pharmaceutical companies
that are restricting the supply of prescription drugs to Canada.
