WASHINGTON, July 31 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. government announced a plan on Wednesday to allow American consumers to legally buy cheaper prescription drugs from Canada for the first time.
"Today's announcement outlines the pathways the administration intends to explore to allow safe importation of certain prescription drugs to lower prices and reduce out of pocket costs for American patients," said Alex Azar, the Secretary of the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) in a statement.
The HHS and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed that FDA may approve the existing pilot projects developed by states, wholesalers and pharmacists to import certain drugs from Canada.
Also, U.S. manufacturers may be allowed to re-import their own products selling in foreign countries, which are cheaper than they are price-tagged in the United States. They may cover common drugs like insulin and those used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disorders, and cancer, according to HHS.
The plan is the Trump administration's latest move to lower drug prices, which is highlighted as its priority ahead of the 2020 presidential election. But it could take two to three years for the FDA to issue a final rule. It may also be challenged on court by drug manufacturers.
U.S. consumers have been suffering from high prices of medications and some of them rushed to buy drugs from cheaper but technically illegal Canadian sources. Under the Prescription Drug Marketing Act of 1987, it is illegal for anyone other than the original manufacturer to bring prescription drugs into the country.
The U.S. patent system that grants drug makers too much monopoly and their power to set prices without negotiation with the country's insurance system have long been blamed for high prices of medications.
