The Associated Press recently ran an interesting story on the prospects for laws expanding the ability of U.S. consumers to import drugs from Canada and other countries in the new Congress. The article notes that

Senator David Vitter [R Louisiana] continues to block confirmation of Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, President Bush’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration [FDA], until federal drug import laws are further relaxed. As for the FDA, the agency says it can’t vouch for the safety or efficacy of imported drugs. This summer, the FDA said testing revealed fake versions of Lipitor and other widely used prescription drugs ordered through Web sites linked to a Canadian pharmacy but shipped from other countries.