Rally at Michigan's Bridges Sept. 27 to Support Legal Rx Importation
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2004-09-16 15:10:00-04:00
AARP members will demand lower prescription drug prices at simultaneous rallies at all three Michigan bridges into Canada Sept. 27, in support of legalizing importation of prescription drugs from Canada and immediate passage of a related U.S. Senate bill. The public is invited to attend the rallies.
AARP, which supports the bipartisan Dorgan-Snowe bill allowing and regulating importation, will be joined at the Ambassador Bridge rally in Detroit by Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a cosponsor of the bill; AARP national Board member Nelda Barnett and AARP Michigan State President Dr. George Rowan. Other speakers at each rally will be announced as they are confirmed.
The simultaneous rallies, with hundreds of AARP members arriving by bus at each site to show their support for safe and legal importation, will be from 10 a.m. to noon, with speakers expected to begin at 11 a.m.
The rally locations are the foot of the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit, on Thomas Edison Parkway along the St. Clair River just south of the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron and on the campus of Lake Superior State University overlooking the International Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie.
In Detroit, AARP members will cross the Ambassador Bridge into Windsor and visit a pharmacy to determine just how much they would save on their prescriptions if importation was legal.
"Our members in Michigan and throughout the nation overwhelmingly support importation and passage of the Dorgan-Snowe bill as an important part of AARP's campaign to reduce the high cost of prescription drugs," Dr. Rowan said. "Michigan's bridges into Canada are the logical places for our members to gather to have our voices heard in support of legalizing importation now."
An AARP national survey conducted in July of those age 50 and older revealed that 79% favor legalizing importation, while only 9% oppose it. Eighty-six percent want Congress to give top or high priority to passing legislation that addresses the rising cost of prescription drugs, and 74% specifically favor passage of the Dorgan-Snowe bill, with just 5% of those polled saying their senators should not vote for the bill.
The bill, S.2328, is sponsored by Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME).
The Dorgan-Snowe bill includes safety standards urged by AARP, including a system of inspection and tracking of imported drugs, anti-tampering and anti-counterfeiting technologies and labeling safeguards. It also requires importers and exporters to be approved by and registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The bill would allow consumers and pharmacies to legally purchase safe prescription drugs from Canada within 90 days of enactment and from selected other nations within one year of becoming law. AARP is working for passage of the bill, which would also prevent the pharmaceutical industry from limiting supplies of drugs to countries and companies willing to export lower-cost pharmaceuticals to the U.S.
"With AARP reports revealing that the cost of prescription drugs is rising at three times the rate of inflation, it is clear that importation is an idea whose time has come," Dr. Rowan said. "Our citizens deserve relief from skyrocketing prescription drug costs, and importation is one important way to provide that relief."
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