WASHINGTON -- The move to legalize the importation of prescription drugs from Canada appeared to gain momentum yesterday as the chairman of the key Senate health committee vowed to introduce a bill within the next few weeks.

Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said he will introduce a measure after the Memorial Day recess. Last month, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Finance Committee, proposed a bill to legalize importation.

With seniors complaining of skyrocketing drug costs and elections looming, pressure is mounting for lawmakers to drive down prices and support reimportation. Even federal Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, who opposes reimportation, recently acknowledged that it is all but inevitable that Congress will pass a bill this year.

The House passed a reimportation bill last year and some of its members from both parties have been urging the Senate to do the same.

A bipartisan group of senators, including Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), introduced legislation last month that appears to have some firepower behind it.

Senior groups, including the AARP, the nation's largest advocacy group, support the bipartisan Senate bill and have also called on Congress to act. A Minnesota senior group filed a lawsuit yesterday against drug companies cutting off supplies to Canadian pharmacies. Click Here for more