Don’t Ignore the Steady Drumbeat of Drug Importation Part 2

Back in April 2019 we published an article through Specialty Pharmacy Times titled “Don’t Ignore the Steady Drumbeat of Drug Importation?” Click here to read the article

However; we have been noticing lately that there is a lot more chatter on importation, especially from the Administration. It seems as though some state administration officials are moving forward with the idea of providing imported medications for their citizens. Besides the state ideas discussed in the article above, states like Maine, Colorado, Vermont, Michigan, New Hampshire and Florida are all currently debating what an importation program would look like in their states. 

This is all a result of increased discussions initiated by the President who has mentioned the goal of lowering drug prices several times since he took office. The President has been a supporter of importing prescription drugs from Canada, namely following Florida’s importation model that was recently enacted by the state’s legislature.

While there are many solutions to lowering drug prices, importation has been a policy that has supporters on both sides of the aisle. However; there are still questions of safety as well as whether importation will have the cooperation of stakeholders such as drug manufacturers, the supply chain, and the Canadian government.  

While it can be argued that importation may not gain too much momentum with the end of the year quickly approaching and the elections starting to heat up in 2020, we still don’t expect importation to go away. If you are a stakeholder and are interested in learning what either your legal or policy options are contact us at Lanton Law by clicking here.