Approving imported drugs is good medicine

The U.S. Senate took an important step to make prescription drugs more affordable by approving a measure that would permit buyers in the United States to order lower-cost drugs from Canada over the Internet.

An amendment by Sen. David Vitter, R-La., apparently caught the prescription drug lobby by surprise during a floor debate late Thursday night. It was approved by 55-36 vote and added to a $42.9 billion bill funding Homeland Security.

With the cost of medicine consistently rising faster than inflation, and with this country's rapidly aging population, any measure that makes safe medicines more affordable for Americans is indeed welcome.

But don't fire up the computer yet. The amendment will surely face a fight before it gets through a conference committee, and the powerful drug lobby has successfully fought to keep earlier versions of this proposal from becoming law.

Sen. Vitter's amendment forbids agents of Homeland Security from blocking the importation of prescription drugs from Canada if the drugs have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Critics claim that exposes U.S. consumers to Internet scams and unsafe drugs. If the critics are sincere, they should support a more comprehensive version of Sen. Vitter's proposal put forward by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. That bill (S 525) creates strict safety standards and procedures and allows importation from Canada and other countries, as well.

Either way, American consumers need a break on prescription drug prices. Congress should get behind efforts like these that could bring down costs by allowing greater competition.