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Pingree To Reintroduce Drug Importation Bill

Robert F. Bukaty
/
Maine Public

With prescription drug prices continuing to increase, even for generic drugs, U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree is reintroducing a drug importation bill in the new Congress.

“Frankly, there is bipartisan public outrage about this, and I think we will see Congress feeling the pressure from its constituents that this has gone too far,” Pingree says.

Pingree says consumers are being hurt by significant price increases in prescription drugs, including medicines like insulin that have been made for decades. She says the legislation would allow individuals to import drugs from Canada, where the government negotiates for lower prices with the pharmaceutical companies.

“I think it is time for government intervention," she says. "Particularly since most of these big pharmaceutical companies benefited from this tax cut, and used that money to buy back their stock and not to lower their prices.”

Pingree says the proposal has bipartisan support in the House and Senate.

Journalist Mal Leary spearheads Maine Public's news coverage of politics and government and is based at the State House.