PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions by unanimous consent.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Oct 23, 2003
Pharmaceutical Market Access Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate regulations allowing qualifying individuals to import covered products (in addition to pharmacists and wholesalers, whom current law authorizes to import such products).
Amends provisions pertaining to record keeping regarding imported covered products. States that the Secretary shall not have to store records in cases in which qualifying individuals have imported a covered product.
Amends provisions regarding the testing of imported covered products. Declares that specified tests, including ones involving authenticity and degradation of products, shall not be required unless the importer is a wholesaler. Requires such tests to be conducted by the importer unless a product is a prescription drug subject to the provisions of this Act pertaining to counterfeit-resistant packaging. (Currently either the importer or the manufacturer may conduct such tests).
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Eliminates the sunset date current law establishes for the provisions pertaining to the importation of covered products.
Classifies prescription drugs as misbranded if they do not incorporate specified counterfeit-resistant technologies in packaging.
People & committees
Sen. Dorgan, Byron L. [D-ND] · D–ND
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions by unanimous consent.
Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 325.
Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S13142)
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Aug 18, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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