08-01-2019, 04:37 PM
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/us-drug...-1.5232360
The prospect of Americans raiding Canadian pharmacies for cheaper prescription drugs is raising the spectre of drug shortages north of the border.
On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration said it would create a system to allow Americans to import cheaper Canadian drugs legally. The policy change would reverse previous decisions by past administrations by allowing American states and pharmacies to buy more affordable medicines north of the border. Washington offered no estimate of when this new policy would start.
Ten U.S. states have passed or proposed laws to allow pharmaceutical imports, but those laws have no teeth without U.S. federal approval.
Reacting to the news, Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor said ensuring Canadians continue to have access to the medicines they need "is one of our top priorities." She said her department is in touch with U.S. officials to learn more about the proposed changes to American drug policy.
I'm glad to see this. The ban on doing this (and the inflated drug prices in the USA) just reeks of Big Pharma lobbying, and putting the interests of the pharmaceutical industry above those of ordinary Americans .
I don't know how realistic this is: it's been voted on before and failed; it depends on how willing Canada is to sell its supplies to Americans; and it may be that the drugs don't remain cheaper for very long. But I'm definitely in favour of this move in principle, and I hope it works out.
The prospect of Americans raiding Canadian pharmacies for cheaper prescription drugs is raising the spectre of drug shortages north of the border.
On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration said it would create a system to allow Americans to import cheaper Canadian drugs legally. The policy change would reverse previous decisions by past administrations by allowing American states and pharmacies to buy more affordable medicines north of the border. Washington offered no estimate of when this new policy would start.
Ten U.S. states have passed or proposed laws to allow pharmaceutical imports, but those laws have no teeth without U.S. federal approval.
Reacting to the news, Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor said ensuring Canadians continue to have access to the medicines they need "is one of our top priorities." She said her department is in touch with U.S. officials to learn more about the proposed changes to American drug policy.
I'm glad to see this. The ban on doing this (and the inflated drug prices in the USA) just reeks of Big Pharma lobbying, and putting the interests of the pharmaceutical industry above those of ordinary Americans .
I don't know how realistic this is: it's been voted on before and failed; it depends on how willing Canada is to sell its supplies to Americans; and it may be that the drugs don't remain cheaper for very long. But I'm definitely in favour of this move in principle, and I hope it works out.
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