Take all the facts in on drug importation

Martin Heinrich is being criticized on the internet for his recent vote on prescription drug importation. The attacks have plenty of passion but not enough facts. I know something about PhRMA, drug pricing, and misguided accusations. For over 20 years I was the Chief of Staff and Committee Staff Director for Congressman Henry Waxman, who […]

Take all the facts in on drug importation

Martin Heinrich is being criticized on the internet for his recent vote on prescription drug importation. The attacks have plenty of passion but not enough facts.

I know something about PhRMA, drug pricing, and misguided accusations. For over 20 years I was the Chief of Staff and Committee Staff Director for Congressman Henry Waxman, who was the leading progressive House Democrat on health and environmental issues. During that time we did a series of ground-breaking investigative reports showing that big drug companies were charging Americans inexcusably higher prices than they were charging in other countries. In fact, we did over 100 of these reports and the pharmaceutical industry responded by attacking our credibility and our facts. But we were right and we kept fighting to bring fairness to American consumers. Moreover, Congressman Waxman sponsored a series of bills that became law that injected at least some competition into the drug industry and forced companies to provide hundreds of billions of dollars in rebates to the Medicaid program. Those are just some of the reasons President Obama said “No one has done more to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable than Henry Waxman” and the consumer group Public Citizen (founded by Ralph Nader) gave him an award for “remarkable leadership over three decades fighting…for safe and affordable prescription drugs.”

Phil Schiliro was the Director of Legislative Affairs for President Obama and is a co-founder of and senior advisor to Grow New Mexico, a non-profit focused on bringing essential services to New Mexican communities.

Notwithstanding that record, a few years back an opponent attacked Congressman Waxman on the basis that he had accepted donations from pharmaceutical companies and opposed an amendment that would have allowed the importation of drugs from other countries. Both parts of the attack were true on their own. He had accepted political contributions—that’s the system our country has—and he had opposed the amendment. But as one of the industry’s most vocal critics it was ridiculous to suggest there was a link between the two.

Congressman Waxman opposed the importation amendment because of genuine concerns about the safety of imported pharmaceuticals and the integrity of the approval and distribution system. Instead of dealing with the overpricing issue by potentially creating a dangerous public health problem, we believed a better approach would be to force the companies to charge the same price here that they they did in other countries. And we also fought to have the federal government be able to negotiate lower prices with the drug companies. Both of those approaches would lower prices without jeopardizing safety.

History is repeating itself with the unfounded attacks on Senator Heinrich. He strongly supports reforms that would free the federal government to use its large Medicare and Medicaid purchasing power to demand lower drug prices from manufacturers without eliminating key FDA safeguards. If importation legislation were introduced that effectively dealt with the real safety concerns, I expect he would support that. We all have a right to our own policy views, but that doesn’t mean we have to automatically question each other’s motives in reaching our conclusions. And it’s worth remembering that in addition to his support for pharmaceutical reforms, Senator Heinrich is also fighting as hard as he can for New Mexico on climate change, public lands, immigration, LGBT rights, and on preserving the progress we’ve made on health care.

So my modest suggestion is we all take a deep breath and consider all the facts before attacking each other.

We're ad free

That means that we rely on support from readers like you. Help us keep reporting on the most important New Mexico Stories by donating today.

Related

Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List, a nonprofit that supports women candidates and reproductive rights, endorsed seven incumbents facing general election opponents in New Mexico legislative elections. All…
Equality New Mexico endorses 15 legislative candidates

Equality New Mexico endorses 15 legislative candidates

A New Mexico-based LGBTQ rights organization endorsed 15 candidates for state House and Senate seats for the 2024 elections.  Marshall Martinez, executive director of…
Lujan Grisham pocket vetoes two bills

Lujan Grisham pocket vetoes two bills

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham pocket vetoed two bills the legislature passed this legislative session: one changing the Cybersecurity Act and the other concerning law…
BLM announces final methane waste rule

BLM announces final methane waste rule

The federal Bureau of Land Management announced its final methane waste rule on Wednesday. These new regulations clamp down on the practice of venting…
What consumers, farmers should know about the flu impacting dairy cows

What consumers, farmers should know about the flu impacting dairy cows

Migrating birds appear to have caused a virus in dairy cattle that is causing reduced milk production. So far, the disease, which initially started…
Republicans seek to limit national monument designations

Republicans seek to limit national monument designations

Republican-backed legislation in the U.S. Congress would make it harder for the government to designate new national monuments. The proposed Congressional Oversight of the…
Amid new graduation requirements, what do high schoolers want to learn?

Amid new graduation requirements, what do high schoolers want to learn?

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican The main things that bring Brayan Chavez to school every day: Seeing, talking to and engaging with…
Special ed teachers hope lawmakers OK pay raises, admin changes

Special ed teachers hope lawmakers OK pay raises, admin changes

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican Brittany Behenna Griffith has a laundry list of adjectives to describe the ideal special education teacher:…
Lawmakers must find consensus on competing education spending plans

Lawmakers must find consensus on competing education spending plans

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican A challenging task awaits New Mexico lawmakers in the next 30 days: Reconciling three very different…
Health workers fear it’s profits before protection as CDC revisits airborne transmission

Health workers fear it’s profits before protection as CDC revisits airborne transmission

Amy Maxmen, KFF Health News Four years after hospitals in New York City overflowed with covid-19 patients, emergency physician Sonya Stokes remains shaken by…
Lujan Grisham, Biden admin announce $10 million in federal funds for tribes, pueblos

Lujan Grisham, Biden admin announce $10 million in federal funds for tribes, pueblos

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Friday $10 million in funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act was awarded to six tribal nations and…
Proposal to curb executive powers moves to House Judiciary

Proposal to curb executive powers moves to House Judiciary

The House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee discussed a potential constitutional amendment that seeks to limit the governor’s executive powers. The committee approved…
Senators introduce legislation to aid abortion providers

Senators introduce legislation to aid abortion providers

Sen. Martin Heinrih and other Senate colleagues introduced abortion rights legislation into the U.S. Senate on Thursday. The Abortion Care Capacity Enhancement and Support…
U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case about the regulations around mifepristone, one of a two-step regime for abortion medication, on Tuesday. FDA v.…
At stake in mifepristone case: Abortion, FDA’s authority, and return to 1873 obscenity law

At stake in mifepristone case: Abortion, FDA’s authority, and return to 1873 obscenity law

Lawyers from the conservative Christian group that won the case to overturn Roe v. Wade are returning to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday in pursuit…
Senators introduce legislation to aid abortion providers

Senators introduce legislation to aid abortion providers

Sen. Martin Heinrih and other Senate colleagues introduced abortion rights legislation into the U.S. Senate on Thursday. The Abortion Care Capacity Enhancement and Support…
New Mexico Medicaid to cover cost of over-the-counter oral contraception

New Mexico Medicaid to cover cost of over-the-counter oral contraception

New Mexico Medicaid announced on Wednesday that it will cover the cost of Opill, the first oral contraception approved for over-the-counter use. It is…
U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case about the regulations around mifepristone, one of a two-step regime for abortion medication, on Tuesday. FDA v.…
San Juan County, Navajo Nation settle redistricting case

San Juan County, Navajo Nation settle redistricting case

The Navajo Nation and San Juan County reached an agreement Monday about commission districts after the tribe alleged that its members were not adequately…
MIT ranks NM elections most well-run in the U.S.

MIT ranks NM elections most well-run in the U.S.

New Mexico’s 2022 election was ranked most well-run in the country by Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Election Data and Science Lab’s Elections Performance Index.…
Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List, a nonprofit that supports women candidates and reproductive rights, endorsed seven incumbents facing general election opponents in New Mexico legislative elections. All…
Ex-GOP candidate allegedly hired people to kill witnesses in shootings of homes of Democratix politicians

Ex-GOP candidate allegedly hired people to kill witnesses in shootings of homes of Democratix politicians

Republican failed state house candidate Solomon Peña is facing more federal charges, this time on a murder-for-hire scheme.  Peña allegedly tried to hire two…
BLM announces final methane waste rule

BLM announces final methane waste rule

The federal Bureau of Land Management announced its final methane waste rule on Wednesday. These new regulations clamp down on the practice of venting…
U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case about the regulations around mifepristone, one of a two-step regime for abortion medication, on Tuesday. FDA v.…

GET INVOLVED

© 2023 New Mexico Political Report