Final week, FDA licensed the State of Florida to import prescription drugs from Canada. The worth of branded prescription drugs in Canada is practically thrice the price of an identical prescription drugs within the US, so this strategy may save the US cash.

Whereas there are some administrative points to work out on the US facet, the most important problem is the next: Canada doesn’t need to promote. CBC stories that Canadian Well being Minister Mark Holland said:

“There isn’t any means we’ll enable any jurisdiction, be it a state or one other international jurisdiction, to hazard the Canadian drug provide. That isn’t an acceptable resolution to no matter challenges they might be dealing with…
We’re going to do every thing in our energy to guarantee that one other nation can’t be given the flexibility to pillage our well being system for its personal profit.”

Canadian Well being Minister Mark Holland

Canada is anxious as a result of the US would quickly exhaust the Canadian drug provide. This problem arose in 2019 as properly through the Trump administration and Canadians had an identical response again then:

Canada doesn’t have a big sufficient provide of pharmaceuticals to satisfy U.S. demand, and importing medicines from Canada wouldn’t considerably decrease U.S. costs, Ottawa’s appearing ambassador instructed U.S. officers in current conferences, in line with an announcement revealed on Friday…[the statement] cited a 2019 examine that projected that if 40% of U.S. prescriptions have been stuffed from Canada, the Canadian drug provide would run out in 118 days…the U.S. state of Florida spends extra on pharmaceuticals than all of Canada.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-health-supplies/canadian-ambassador-says-drug-imports-would-not-lower-u-s-prices-idUSKBN1XB55E/

FDA could not take into consideration that if States start to import medication from Canada, pharmaceutical corporations could determine to boost costs in Canada nearer to US ranges, because the US is the most important marketplace for most prescription drugs.

Far more to return.