Our governing class has increasingly turned to politically expedient, so-called answers to the public policy issues facing our nation. Often they amount to nothing more then convenient sound bites for the cable news network's nightly programs. The high cost of prescription drugs is certainly no different, evidenced by the ongoing push toward drug importation as a remedy. Rhetoric aside the reality remains that drug importation is bad medicine, and it will do nothing to lower the cost of prescription drugs.[1]
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Earlier this year, we highlighted the dangers associated with drug importation. Prescription drugs imported from our good neighbor to the north do not guarantee that they are safe, and even the Canadian government has acknowledged so. Whereas Canadian manufactured prescriptions drugs are pretty much as safe as the ones made in the United States, there is no guarantee the safety standards can be said for the ones brought into their national boundaries before crossing our border. The Canadian government - along with the Canadian healthcare industry - has also indicated that it cannot adequately supply safe medicines to the United States since many prescriptions drugs face shortages[2] in their healthcare system. These points are conveniently overlooked by the politicians of both parties pushing this bad medicine, as well as most news media reporting on drug importation.
POLITICO reported that in its misguided quest toward allowing drug importation the Trump Administration is considering two pathways. One option would authorize pilot projects thereby granting states, wholesalers or pharmacists the authority to import prescription drugs "consistent with FDA approval" from Canada on a limited basis.[3] The other option would allow drug manufacturers to offer lower prices for imported prescription drugs so long as the domestic and foreign drugs are the same.[4] In either case, it is much easier said than done.
The Canadian Pharmacists Association and the Canadian Medical Association (along with numerous other Canadian healthcare groups) strongly rebuked the proposals and urged the Canadian government to oppose it.[5] Public opinion polling among Canadians is also opposed to drug importation, since there already exist waiting lists to obtain many medicines. And the Canadian government is listening because Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has already promised to protect their nation's drug supply from flooding into the United States.[6]
The Trump Administration has once again demonstrated its "fly-by-the-seat-of-its-pants" style to governing and yet another troubling sign for people living with HIV/AIDS. The Partnership for Safe Medicines - of which our organization is member - characterized the proposals as "reckless and politically-motivated" with little hopes of achieving the intended outcome.[7] We agree!
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| Click to Watch PSM Ad Warning Against Dangers of Drug Importation |
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[1] Acri née Lybecker, Kristina M.L. (2019, June 12). State Pharmaceutical Importation Programs: An Analysis of the Cost Effectiveness. SSRN. Retrieved online at https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3402784.
[2] Shepherd MD (2010, Sept/Oct). The Effect Of US Pharmaceutical Drug Importation On The Canadian Pharmaceutical Supply. Can Pharm J. 143(5):226-33.
[3] Owermohle, Sarah (2019, July 31). Trump administration says it is studying 2 Canadian drug import pathways. POLITCO. Retrieved online at https://subscriber.politicopro.com/f/?id=0000016c-4803-d14f-ad7e-4a5786f50000.
[4] Owermohle, Sarah (2019, July 31). Trump administration says it is studying 2 Canadian drug import pathways. POLITCO. Retrieved online at https://subscriber.politicopro.com/f/?id=0000016c-4803-d14f-ad7e-4a5786f50000.
[5] Obiko, Natalie, and Simran Jagdev (2019, August 1). Trump’s ‘crazy’ drug import plan stirs backlash in Canada. Kennebec Journal. Retrieved online at https://www.centralmaine.com/2019/08/01/trumps-crazy-drug-import-plan-stirs-backlash-in-canada/.
[6] Kirkup, Kristy (2019, August 1). PM pledges access to medication as pharmacists, patient groups fear shortage. CBC. Retrieved online at https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/drug-shortage-trudeau-justin-us-trump-1.5233591.
[7] Safdar, Shabbir (2019, August 1). Partnership for Safe Medicines Statement on Reckless and Politically-Motivated Drug Importation Proposal. The Partnership for Safe Medicines.
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