Senate Blocks Bid to Allow Drug Imports

Another victory for the shadow government - the pharmaceutical industry:

In a triumph for the pharmaceutical industry, the Senate on Monday killed a drive to allow consumers to buy prescription drugs from abroad at a significant savings over domestic prices.

And nothing will change, regardless of who wins the next election from the two parties. The lobbies rule America. And no lobby is more powerful as the drug industry:

"Well, once again the big drug companies have proved that they are the most powerful and best financed lobby in Washington," said Sen. David Vitter (news, bio, voting record), a Louisiana Republican.

Have you heard any candidate talk about the power of the lobbies? I didn't think so:

Advocates of drug importation have argued for years that an existing ban is more a protection for the drug industry than a safety issue.

Overseas, drugs can cost two-thirds less than they do in the United States, where prices for brand-name drugs are among the highest in the world. In many industrialized countries, prices are lower because they are either controlled or partially controlled by government regulation.

Dorgan said allowing imports would drive down the price of U.S. brand-name drugs. He said 90 doses of the cholesterol drug Lipitor costs $321 in the U.S. — about twice the cost in Canada.