U.S. to allow purchase of meds from Canada

Change in import ban would give Americans cheaper drug options.

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Wednesday it will create a way for Americans to legally and safely import lower-cost 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.

Why it matters

The move is a step toward fulfilling a campaign promise by President Donald Trump, and it weakens an import ban that has stood as a symbol of the pharmaceutical industry’s political clout.

It comes as the industry is facing consumer complaints, as well as legislation from both parties in Congress to rein in costs.

Most patients take affordable generic drugs to manage conditions such as high blood pressure or elevated blood sugars. 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 long-available drugs like insulin have seen serial price increases that forced some people to ration.

What both sides say

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the administration’s decision recognizes that prescription drug manufacturing and distribution is now international.

“The landscape and the opportunities for safe linkage between drug supply chains has changed,” Azar said. “That is part of why, for the first time in HHS’s history, we are open to importation. We want to see proposals from states, distributors, and pharmacies that can help accomplish our shared goal of safe prescription drugs at lower prices.”

Stephen Ubl, president of the industry group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America called the plan “far too dangerous” for American patients. “There is no way to guarantee the safety of drugs that come into the country from outside the United States’ gold-standard supply chain,” Ubl said in a statement. “Drugs coming through Canada could have originated from anywhere in the world.”

What’s next

It’s unclear how soon consumers will see results. Azar spoke of a regulatory process lasting “weeks and months” and he also called on Congress to pass legislation that would lend its muscle to the effort, which could short-circuit attempts to overturn the changes in court.

“The FDA has the resources to do this,” acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless said.

LOS ANGELES TIMES A pharmaceutical industry group has called the Canadian plan “dangerous,” but it comes as U.S. companies are facing consumer complaints as well as legislation to rein in costs.