HR 4614 · 107th Congress 2001–2003, ended

To permit commercial importation of prescription drugs from Canada, and for other purposes.

Introduced Apr 25, 2002 Originated House Sponsor Bernard Sanders I-VT

Fact sheet Spreadsheet

Latest action · May 6, 2002 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

  1. IntroducedApr 25, 2002
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Amends provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act set forth in the Medicine Equity and Drug Safety Act of 2000 to: (1) direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate regulations permitting pharmacists and wholesalers to import Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved prescription drugs from Canada (currently, from Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, South Africa, the countries in the European Union and the European Free Trade Association, or other countries designated by the Secretary); and (2) exclude an infused or intravenously injected drug or a drug that is inhaled during surgery.

Prohibits discrimination in the sale of prescription drugs by manufacturers to pharmacists or wholesalers, requiring: (1) terms as favorable as those provided to foreign purchasers; and (2) full access to drugs permitted to be imported.

Continues the requirement that exported donated prescription drugs may only be reimported by the manufacturer.

Permits the Secretary to waive the prohibition against importing a prescription drug or device on a case-by-case basis, particularly those from Canada that are FDA-approved and for limited personal use.

Requires a study and report by the: (1) Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences on the regulatory compliance of importers of drugs; and (2) Comptroller General on how drug prices were affected.

Cosponsors 56

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 1, 2002 to Oct 15, 2002.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-OHDennis J. KucinichMay 1, 2002
D-NYJerrold NadlerMay 1, 2002
D-NYMaurice D. HincheyMay 1, 2002
D-ORPeter A. DeFazioMay 1, 2002
D-CTRosa L. DeLauroMay 1, 2002
D-CABarbara LeeMay 2, 2002
D-NYJoseph CrowleyMay 7, 2002
D-MDAlbert Russell WynnMay 9, 2002
D-FLCorrine BrownMay 9, 2002
D-ALEarl F. HilliardMay 9, 2002
D-CAGrace F. NapolitanoMay 9, 2002
D-MAJames P. McGovernMay 9, 2002
D-MIJohn Conyers, Jr.May 9, 2002
D-MEJohn Elias BaldacciMay 9, 2002
D-MAJohn W. OlverMay 9, 2002
D-MILynn N. RiversMay 9, 2002
D-MABarney FrankMay 14, 2002
D-DCEleanor Holmes NortonMay 14, 2002
D-INJulia CarsonMay 14, 2002
D-MIDavid E. BoniorMay 15, 2002
D-WIGerald D. KleczkaMay 15, 2002
D-PAJohn P. MurthaMay 15, 2002
R-TXRon PaulMay 15, 2002
D-NJFrank Pallone, Jr.May 16, 2002
D-CABob FilnerMay 21, 2002
D-GASanford D. Bishop, Jr.May 21, 2002
D-NYJose E. SerranoJun 6, 2002
D-WIThomas M. BarrettJun 6, 2002
D-PATim HoldenJun 6, 2002
D-GACynthia A. McKinneyJun 12, 2002
D-NDEarl PomeroyJun 12, 2002
D-NYJohn J. LaFalceJun 12, 2002
D-MNJames L. OberstarJun 17, 2002
D-WAJim McDermottJun 17, 2002
D-OHStephanie Tubbs JonesJun 17, 2002
D-ILLane EvansJun 18, 2002
D-MOWm. Lacy ClayJun 18, 2002
D-ILJerry F. CostelloJun 21, 2002
D-MAJohn F. TierneyJun 21, 2002
D-NYLouise McIntosh SlaughterJun 21, 2002
D-CALynn C. WoolseyJun 21, 2002
D-OHSherrod BrownJun 25, 2002
D-CAFortney Pete StarkJul 8, 2002
D-CAMaxine WatersJul 8, 2002
D-MSRonnie ShowsJul 8, 2002
D-FLRobert WexlerJul 18, 2002
D-TNBob ClementJul 25, 2002
D-CATom LantosSep 11, 2002
D-HINeil AbercrombieSep 25, 2002
D-FLKaren L. ThurmanSep 26, 2002
D-WITammy BaldwinSep 26, 2002
D-TXMartin FrostOct 1, 2002
D-METhomas H. AllenOct 2, 2002
D-MNCollin C. PetersonOct 8, 2002
D-ILLuis V. GutierrezOct 9, 2002
D-OREarl BlumenauerOct 15, 2002

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseEnergy and Commerce Committee
Referred Apr 25, 2002
Health Subcommittee
Referred May 6, 2002

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. May 6, 2002Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
  2. Apr 25, 2002Introduced in House
  3. Apr 25, 2002Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Printed hearings 1

Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.

NumberHearingCommitteeHeld
Serial No. 107-135EXAMINING PRESCRIPTION DRUG IMPORTATION: A REVIEW OF A PROPOSAL TO ALLOW THIRD PARTIES TO REIMPORT PRESCRIPTION DRUGS116 pagesEnergy and Commerce CommitteeJul 25, 2002

Related bills 1

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
S 2244Prescription Drug Price Parity for Americans ActRelated billMay 2, 2002

Titles 1

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced
To permit commercial importation of prescription drugs from Canada, and for other purposes.

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Apr 25, 2002Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.