Trump drafts plan to import drugs from Canada

The Trump administration in the US is now drafting a plan to enable the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the country to import branded drugs from Canada to in an effort to lower drug prices.

Federal law currently prevents foreign drug importation, unless there is a critical drug shortage. However, the new plan aims to bring in medication “safely and effectively” from the neighbouring country.

HHS Secretary Alex Azar said that the imports from Canada would help lower drug prices by giving US patients the “benefit of the deals that pharma themselves are striking with other countries”.

It is currently unclear whether the move will be by executive order or through legislation. The new scheme unites Donald Trump with his Democratic opponents.

Earlier this month, Trump announced that his government was working on a “favoured-nation clause” for price negotiations, to theoretically lower the price of prescription drugs in the US. Other drug prices reforms include the changing of Medicare Part D, which lowers the cost of drugs for patients.