Heartland Institute to Host October 23 Symposium on Drug Importation

Published October 10, 2003

The Heartland Institute will host a National Symposium on Drug Importation on Thursday, October 23, in Chicago. The symposium will be cosponsored by the Illinois Manufacturers Association, Illinois Retail Merchants Association, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

National and state lawmakers, health policy experts, and business leaders will meet to discuss Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s proposal to import prescription drugs from Canada.


The following links provide additional information on the topic, including materials being distributed at the Symposium.


Click here to download a registration form in Adobe Acrobat’s PDF format. No need to print the form — just complete the form on your computer and click the SUBMIT button to send it to us.


NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON DRUG IMPORTATION

Thursday, October 23, 2003
Hyatt Regency Hotel
Grand Ballroom A – East Tower
151 East Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. CST


Confirmed Speakers

  • John Graham, Director of Pharmaceutical Policy Research, Fraser Institute (Vancouver, BC)
  • Grace-Marie Turner, President, The Galen Institute (Washington, DC)
  • Robert Goldberg, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute (New York)
  • Stephen Entin, Ph.D., President, Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation (Washington, DC)
  • Hon. Steven Rauschenberger, Illinois State Senator
  • Hon. Chris Lauzen, Illinois State Senator
  • Sean Heather, executive director of Congressional public affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
  • David Miller, president, Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization

Invited Speakers

  • Governor Rod Blagojevich (D-Illinois)
  • Mayor Richard M. Daley (D-Chicago)
  • Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois)
  • Congressman Bobby Rush (D-Illinois)
  • Congressman Rahm Emanuel (D-Illinois)
  • Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania)
  • FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan

About the issue: Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has proposed importing Canadian prescription drugs to lower the state’s spending on Medicaid and public employee health benefits. Drug importation is illegal, and the federal government has refused to legalize the practice as it cannot guarantee the quality or safety of imported medicines. The National Symposium on Drug Importation will address the health, legal, and economic implications of drug importation.


Click here to download a registration form in Adobe Acrobat’s PDF format. No need to print the form — just complete the form on your computer and click the SUBMIT button to send it to us.

For more information: Contact Greg Lackner, public affairs director for The Heartland Institute, at 312/377-4000, [email protected].