Politicians don’t often change their minds on the big issues. It gets them accused of flip-flopping, for one thing. But when it comes to something as serious as the safety of our prescription drug supply, I hope that President-elect Barack Obama will consider violating that political maxim by reversing his support for prescription drug importation. I know that I have.

During my time in the Senate, I was one of the few Republicans who supported drug importation. I even co-sponsored a bill with both Republican and Democratic colleagues — the Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act of 2005 — that would have legalized importation. I pushed such legislation because I thought getting access to cheaper prescription drugs was in the best interest of American patients.

Having access to safe drugs is even more important, though. At the time, I didn’t think there was a conflict between the two. A drug purchased from an overseas pharmacy seemed to be the same as a drug purchased here in the States — only cheaper. Anyone who’s watched the news recently now knows that’s not the case.

In China, baby formula tainted with a dangerous chemical has sickened more than 53,000 infants and killed at least four. It looks like the chemical, melamine, got into other milk products, too: British chocolatier Cadbury has recalled all of its Chinese-made chocolate.

We might not be safe from the fallout. Officials here have admitted some Chinese-made formula could have wound up in the American supply. We know some other tainted products have made their way here, too. Many of us threw out boxes of pet food and tubes of toothpaste last year when we found out they could be poisonous. Both recalls involved products made in China. The tainted pet food contained that now-familiar chemical, melamine. The tainted toothpaste contained a poison used in antifreeze.

That’s scary enough. What’s even more frightening is that the life-saving medicines some American patients rely on have also been contaminated. Baxter International recalled its heparin products earlier this year after more than 80 Americans died. The blood-thinner, often used in patients who are about to get heart surgery or dialysis, had been made in China.

Though China has been responsible for most of the contaminated food and drugs we’ve been hearing about, it’s not the only country that has exported toxic products. Just last month, the FDA banned the import of more than 30 medicines manufactured by Ranbaxy, India’s largest drug producer. That’s a pretty high percentage of the 130 drugs Ranbaxy sells in the United States. Our drug watchdog banned the meds because it could not confirm that they were manufactured under sterile conditions.

We’re not talking about counterfeit drugs peddled over the Internet. These are legitimate medicines made by blue-chip foreign companies — which makes these safety problems all the more alarming. That’s why I’ve come to change my mind on drug importation. Here in the United States, the FDA ensures that the drugs we take meet safety standards. The problem is, the FDA doesn’t have the resources, either in staff or money, to go abroad and inspect every foreign pharmacy or manufacturing facility.

John Maynard Keynes famously said, “When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?” In light of a frightening, ever-larger supply of tainted food and medicines, I’ve come to realize that the facts have changed about drug importation. I’m very glad to see that President-elect Obama has noticed, too. I’m hoping he’ll to put patients over party and work to make sure that we have a safe drug supply.

Former Sen. Lott (Miss.), the upper chamber’s Republican leader from 1996 to 2002, is a lobbyist who consults for the pharmaceutical industry.