Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis) renewed his call for legislation making it easier for Americans to import cheap and safe drugs from Canada at a fraction of the cost charged for the same prescription medicines in the United States.

"This is a system in dire need of reform," Kohl said during a Jan. 26 meeting of the Senate Committee on Aging. "American taxpayers foot the bill for most or all of the research on the drugs we are talking about today. At the same time, Americans are charged the highest prices in the world for those drugs, which are sold in other countries for a fraction of the price."

The senator told of a woman from De Pere, Wis., who was able to cut a $582 drug bill to $370 by using Canadian pharmacies, and of another woman from Eau Claire who had saved between 30 percent and 50 percent on most of her prescriptions via Canada.

"As Congress continues to debate this issue, the reality is that drug importation is already happening," Kohl said. "It's time for the Administration to stop defending the status quo, issuing 
reports and setting up new roadblocks, and start working with Congress to give Americans the price relief and safety assurances they need."
   —Donald H. Harrison