McCain drug importation amendment fails to pass Senate
posted Thu, 24 May 2012The McCain Amendment to allow drug importation from Canadian online pharmacies was put to a vote by the Senate this afternoon (as part of S.3187, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act). Unfortunately, it failed to pass in a vote of 43-54.
Senators Grassley and Snowe were among those to express their fervent support for the amendment. Watch Senators McCain and Snowe testify below about a recent study by Roger Bate that was released by the National Bureau of Economic Research. We've told you about this authoritative study before, it confirms what we have known all along: personal drug importation through legitimate Canadian and other international online pharmacies is a safe, money-saving option for Americans.
It's unfortunate that the majority of our legislators do not realize this fact yet. Despite this setback, we want to take a moment to recognize and thank those of you who took the initiative to send letters to Congress asking them to vote for the amendment. Over the course of several days, 5449 letters of support for the amendment were sent to the Senate. This is an impressive number, considering the brief time frame for action.
A number of you have written us to express how crucial access to international online pharmacies are to your health. We are moved by your personal stories and pledge to continue to fight to protect your access to sources of safe and affordable medicine. We hope we can count on you to stand with us and press on!
Read more about the Senate discussion about the Amendment.