HEALTH DAILY NEWS

Franken and Brown went further last month, when they introduced legislation that combines just about every policy idea drug lobbyists hate. The bill includes old standbys like Medicare negotiations and permitting imports of safe prescription drugs from Canada (where prices are lower, because Canada regulates them). But it also features more radical moves, including expanded federal funding for clinical trials, which would prevent private companies from monopolizing taxpayer-funded research. Typically, the government pays for early drug research, with pharmaceutical firms supporting the final steps in the process.