The Trump administration said Wednesday that it would move forward with plans to allow states to safely import prescription drugs from Canada, for the first time.
Importantly, many of the most expensive drugs are excluded from this proposal, including insulin and biologic drugs like Humira and other injectable drugs. A 2003 law limited the types of drugs that could be imported. “At a time when there are pragmatic policy solutions being considered to lower costs for seniors at the pharmacy counter and increase competition in the market, it is disappointing the administration once again put politics over patients,” the group’s president and chief executive, Stephen J. Ubl, said in a statement.
The Trump administration said it did not have estimates for any consumer or taxpayer savings because states had not yet submitted any plans. The proposal also noted that running the programs would cost money. “As we lack information about the expected scale or scope of such programs, we are unable to estimate how they may affect U.S. markets for prescription drugs,” the proposal said.
“I’d much rather be here, moving forward,” he said, “than just being on the sidelines chirping, saying, ‘why doesn’t someone do something about it?’ ”
Why we don't have drug tourism is beyond me.