July 27, 2007

You'd think that he'd want to take a little time off. I refer to Senator David Vitter, of recent D.C. Madam fame, who, unsurprisingly anxious to change the subject, has proposed a one-year extension of the program that allows Americans to bring home prescription drugs subject to price controls in Canada.

Let us shunt aside the issue of counterfeit and adulterated drugs ostensibly from Canada but possibly produced in such bastions of quality control as rural India. Let us ignore the implications for treatment of contagious diseases, for kids who cannot control the risks that they face, and for pharmaceutical producers interested in protecting the values of their brand names. Let us assume instead that the Canadian drugs are genuine; does Senator Vitter believe that the importation of price controls imposed overseas would have no effect on the research and development of new and improved medicines over time?

There is a reason that U.S. law frowns upon foreign machinations designed to steal the market value of intellectual property: Everyone loses over the longer term. Yes, that means The Children too, even though it is in the name of The Children that the Beltway political establishment makes excuses for its endless attempts to use regulation as a form of taxation. Perhaps if Senator Vitter spent more time working, and less in bawdy houses, he might come to understand that. Or maybe he does understand, and just does not care.

Posted by Benjamin Zycher at July 27, 2007 01:13 AM

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