Drug prices: Lott was right, Cochran wrong

The Clarion-Ledger Editorial, 5/8/7

A measure supported by Sen. Trent Lott to allow lower-priced prescription drugs into the United States was gutted by what was termed a “poison pill” amendment by fellow Mississippi Republican Sen. Thad Cochran. Cochran’s amendment, passed 49-40, required the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to first certify imported medicines are safe and effective.

The battle lines seemed innocuous: Why not allow Americans to shop for lower priced drugs when U.S. prices, even for the same drug, are among the highest in the world? Especially when elders living near U.S. borders are already flocking into Canada and Mexico to take advantage of cheaper prices for the same drugs available here?