The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America [PhRMA], a key White House ally in the healthcare reform push, has lobbied heavily against [pharmaceutical] re-importation...and would likely not support the final bill if it was included in the package.
Speaking on CNN’s "State of the Union," David Axelrod, Obama’s top political aide, said the White House still favors drug re-importation and wants to move forward on it. “Let me be clear. The president supports re-importation. As he said, safe re-importation of drugs into this country. There’s no reason why the Americans should pay a premium for pharmaceuticals that people in other countries pay less for,” Axelrod said. “We will move forward on it.”CNN’s John King countered, “Just not in this healthcare reform?”“Yes,” Axelrod said. “The president is committed to move forward once we resolve the issues that the [Food and Drug Administration (FDA)] has. That is his responsibility, to protect the American people.”
This is a nasty betrayal of PhRMA, but PhRMA was idiotic to make a deal with Obama, and now they're getting what they deserve. I'm not going to shed a tear for the pharmaceutical industry. But here's why I'm particularly concerned: If the Obama administration is so confident about the health care bill's passage that they're already throwing big PhRMA under the bus, ObamaCare is a done deal.
