U.S. to set up plan allowing prescription meds from Canada

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Wednesday it will create a way for Americans to legally and safely import lowercost prescription drugs from Canada for the first time, reversing years of refusals by health authorities amid a public outcry over high prices for life-sustaining medications.

But it’s unclear how soon consumers will see benefits, as the plan has to go through regulatory approval and later could face court challenges. And there’s no telling how Canada will react to becoming the drugstore for its much bigger neighbor.

The U.S. drug industry is facing a crescendo of consumer complaints over prices, as well as legislation from both parties in Congress to rein in costs, not to mention proposals from the Democratic presidential contenders. Ahead of the 2020 election, President Donald Trump is feeling pressure to deliver on years of harsh rhetoric about pharmaceutical industry prices.

“There is no way to guarantee the safety of drugs that come into the country from outside the United States’ gold-standard supply chain,” Stephen Ubl, president of the industry group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said.

Most patients take affordable generic drugs to manage conditions such as high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol. But polls show concern about the prices of breakthrough medications for intractable illnesses like cancer or hepatitis C infection, whose annual costs can run to $100,000 or much more. And longavailable drugs like insulin have seen serial price increases that forced some people with diabetes to ration their own doses.