The Senate voted 49-40 to approve an amendment to a bill dealing with the Food and Drug Administration, which would require the secretary of the Health and Human Services Department to certify that drug imports would pose no safety risk to American consumers before allowing pharmacies to import prescription drugs from Canada and other countries.
Health officials have said they can't provide that level of assurance.
The measure, sponsored by Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., modifies an amendment sponsored by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., that would otherwise have allowed imports.
Backers of drug imports labeled the Cochran amendment a "poison pill" aimed at undercutting the importation language.
"The drug industry won on this vote," Dorgan said. "It's a disappointment. Sometimes I forget how much clout the drug industry has in this town. But I was reminded today."
Fifteen Democratic senators voted in favor of this amendment to defend Big Pharma's monopoly. Those senators are were: Max Baucus, Evan Bayh, Maria Cantwell, Thomas Carper, Edward Kennedy, John Kerry, Mary Landrieu, Frank Lautenberg, Blanche Lincoln, Robert Menéndez, Barbara Mikulski, Patty Murray, Ben Nelson, Jay Rockefeller, and Kenneth Salazar.
Thirty-three Republicans also supported the bill, which passed 49-40 (11 not voting). The Republican senators who voted for this amendment were: Lamar Alexander, Robert Bennett, Kit Bond, Jim Bunning, Richard Burr, Saxby Chambliss, Tom Coburn, Thad Cochran, Norm Coleman, Bob Corker, John Cornyn, Michael Crapo, Elizabeth Dole, Pete Domenici, Michael Enzi, Lindsey Graham, Judd Gregg, Chuck Hagel, Orrin Hatch, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Johnny Isakson, Jon Kyl, Richard Lugar, Mel Martinez, Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski, Pat Roberts, Arlen Specter, Ted Stevens, John Sununu, Craig Thomas, George Voinovich, and John Warner.
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