AARP has agreed to endorse a bipartisan Senate bill that would allow consumers to import prescription drugs from countries where they often sell for less than in the United States. This endorsement will likely result in creating a greater urgency for passage of a legislative measure (S.2328) sponsored by Senators Dorgan (D-North Dakota), Kennedy (D-Massachusetts), McCain (R-Arizona) and Snowe (R-Maine).

Last year AARP endorsement of the Medicare prescription drug bill angered many AARP members who considered the new law’s drug coverage inadequate. The group’s support for drug importation reflects an attempt to mend ties with dissatisfied members and shake any perception of partisan leanings by backing a practice the Bush administration opposes.

S.2328 is one of several that propose lifting restrictions on the importation of drugs from abroad. The administration opposes the measure on safety grounds, saying it could open the U.S. market to a flood of ineffective or counterfeit medicines.

A rival measure (S.2493) sponsored by Sen. Judd Gregg (R-New Hampshire) and having the backing of Republican leaders, takes a more conservative approach and is the most likely candidate to be advanced this year.

S.2493 would give the Food and Drug Administration one year to create a system allowing the reimportation of prescription drugs from Canada, eventually expanding the practice to European Union countries.

The bipartisan bill, by contrast, would direct the FDA to implement a reimportation system within 90 days of enactment. It would also place penalties on manufacturers that interfere with importation for example, by limiting supply or increasing prices.

AARP is working with the bipartisan bill’s sponsors to strengthen some of its safety provisions, adding that some changes have already been made.