Trump’s drug importation plan faces resistance in US, Canada – By Jessie Hellmann (The Hill) / Dec 1 2019
President Trump’s proposal to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada faces significant headwinds from U.S. pharmaceutical companies and the Canadian government.
Canadian officials warn their country is too small to supply their neighbors to the south with prescription drugs, an argument that American drugmakers quickly seized on after years of aggressively opposing all drug importation efforts.
But Trump — eager for a win on drug prices amid the impeachment inquiry and heading into 2020 — is showing no signs of backing off.
Trump recently tweeted that the White House and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar “will soon release a plan to let Florida and other states import prescription drugs that are MUCH CHEAPER than what we have now!”
“Hard-working Americans don’t deserve to pay such high prices for the drugs they need,” he added. “We are fighting DAILY to make sure this HAPPENS.”
The Food and Drug Administration expects to release the proposal in January, according to the fall regulatory agenda published last week.
State and federal lawmakers have looked for solutions to high drug costs as prices soar and patients increasingly struggle to pay for their medications. Trump has made lowering drug prices a key goal of his presidency but has made little progress almost three years after taking office.
Under his plan, state governments could seek permission from HHS to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canadian suppliers that meet stringent requirements. Florida, Colorado, Vermont and Maine are in the process of drafting such proposals.
But it’s not clear if the U.S. will find a willing partner in Canada, whose support of drug importation would be crucial for the proposal to take off.
Continue to article: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/471963-trumps-drug-importation-plan-faces-resistance-in-us-canada
