In his latest attempt to lower the costs of prescription drugs, President Trump has proposed a plan to allow imports from Canada.
As part of the plan, the Trump administration said that the Department of Health and Human Services and the FDA would team up to propose a rule that allows states to submit proposals for the safe importation of Canadian drugs with raw ingredients manufactured in the same facilities as the U.S. versions.
HHS secretary, Alex Azar, said that it is the first time in the agency’s history that it supports importation, but that there are still hurdles to the law becoming a reality.
Pharma industry lobbyists expressed opposition to importation, saying that there would be no way to guarantee the safety of drugs from another country.
However, Azar said that some drugmakers supported a part of the proposal that would allow them to import their own drugs made in foreign facilities under FDA guidance.
Officials in Canada said they are also reviewing the proposal to make sure that it would not negatively impact Canadian citizens.
Read the full Reuters report.
