The Trump administration took a step Wednesday toward allowing the importation of medicines from Canada, an action the president has advocated as a way to bring cheaper prescription drugs to Americans, but the pharmaceutical industry was quick to resist the move.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said it and the Food and Drug Administration will propose a rule that will allow it to authorize states and other groups to pursue pilot projects related to importing drugs from Canada.
What a dumb idea. Why not just regulate drug prices? It's not like Canada has the surplus supply to handle the US market and they are already talking about legislation to prevent large scale foreign purchases to avoid this move by the US.
Oliver Watson
Will absolutely lower drug prices by allowing generics into a, previously, protectionist US market place and do more to improve access to life-saving medications than Obamacare ever will. Speaking of which, every Obama-era Dem. should be eating their fucking hats right now.
Case in point: Americans pay $5,000 per treatment of a bona fide cure for Hep C, while Egyptians get the same goddamned medication for $2 (both figures USD). Precisely because Egypt threatened to do exactly what Trump now proposing. (sauce: reuters.com/article/us-hepatitis-egypt-gilead-sciences-idusbrea2k1vf20140321) Don't even get me started on insulin and Epi-pens.
…and exactly exactly how many of the people writing the necessary legislation have been bought and paid for by the same industry they'd be writing regulations for, do you suppose?. (Hint: it's most of them, on both sides of the aisle.) Dunno about you, but I ain't holding my breath counting on a thoroughly corrupt regulatory process to fix a problem that they helped create in the first place.
The Canadian counter legislation has nothing to do with being "bought and paid for" and everything to do with having only a limited supply of drugs. A country of 30mil just doesn't have the supply chain to deal with its own needs AND the needs of a country of 300 million.
It's pretty hard to buy federal politicians in Canada these days given that it is illegal for corporations to donate anything to political parties or politicians and individuals are limited to donations of $1500/yr to a candidate or party and all donations over $200/year have the donor names published.
Generics aren't the only answer either. As was recently pointed out in the publicity stunt Trump is reacting to, the identical brand name insulin from the same manufacturer sells for $30 in Canada and $300 in the US. And that Hep C treatment you mentioned runs at about $60.
The entire US pricing structure is out of control which is why the US spends more per capita on health care than any other western country. Canada simply doesn't let drug companies charge whatever they want. They have to demonstrate their costs and are allowed a reasonable profit margin on top of that. The US should do the same, at least for lifesaving drugs.
There are similar problems throughout the US system. For example, I understand a visit to a family doctor can run $50-100 US. In Ontario a doctor gets about $30 US for the same visit.
The US needs to trash its system from top to bottom and start again. I doubt it will happen though given the campaign contributions the US drug companies make.
Owen Hughes
Excuse me while I go to space to collect my sides.
Why don't the corporate drug companies believe in free market capitalism?
Thomas Cook
They dont need to because they are well connected with government.
Xavier Young
Trump has the right idea. This will lower prices and make medicines more affordable to vulnerable Americans. I believe it was George W who banned imports. My grandpa told me his medications got a lot more expensive afterwards.
Leo Ross
It is a dichotomy, but having built a better trade plan with Canada was the first step
Gavin Richardson
We should, on principle, consume products made by Americans for Americans.
American standards are higher, and the risks of buying drugs from foreign markets can be great; especially from corrupt nations like China and Indi.
American pharmaceutical companies need to be detached from socialized medicine, and they need to be penalized if they arbitrarily up-mark the prices of life saving medicines.
It really is that simple…
Josiah Gomez
You didn't even actually read the "why" did you?
Noah Phillips
Nope, pretty sure the FDA was blocking imports before that. I think the first state that tried it was in 2000 which puts it in Clinton's era.
Adrian Murphy
first off, all politicians are basically Jews, even little municipal politicians. But if we were to pretend like politics was an actual thing, the goy cattle coming up to Canada would cause drug prices to soar for Canadians eventually, as cattle were made to be milked and then slaughtered. Americans are just free roaming cattle at this point, which is a very undesirable thing
Michael Collins
usually I'd agree but fucking with the pharmaceutical industry of america is not a bad move
Jace Bennett
Canadian drug prices are regulated so costs would not rise. There would however be supply problems because if even 10% of Americans got their drugs from Canada it would double the existing total Canadian demand.
Isaiah Gomez
The shilling
James Wilson
it wouldn't make a long-term impact
The pharma companies in the US are price gouging and they know it. If this goes into effect, then mysteriously all the US pharma companies will announce totally brand new manufacturing chains that tie or beat those darned Canadian prices.
And they'll magically do it all without building a single new facility or hiring a single new employee.
Zachary Rivera
Well of course they are price gouging. They aren't even trying to hide it. The fact that the Canadian arms of the same companies sell for so much less is proof.
Even a short term shortage problem could be life threatening for Canadians though. It can't be allowed to happen. The US should properly fix the problem by regulating the drug prices like the monopolies and oligopolies they are (costs + reasonable profit % = sale price)
Matthew Thomas
Trump was told this And as a Canadian, I don't like the fascist states of america shorting my supply of insulin
William Clark
We Canadian politicians aren't cheap whores like yanks we are high class and charge more
Evan Miller
I don't like my tax dollars subsidizing your fat lazy ass. I also don't believe you are Canadian but the language you chose. I suspect you are a fat fuck shitskin who ate to much curry.
Charles Diaz
This is how it should be in the USA, as well. But we have Super PACs, with virtually no regulations stopping them from putting whoever they want into office.
Jeremiah Gomez
This would be fine if corporations had American citizen's interests in mind when they made decisions. But they only care about profits, which makes them corrupt as fuck. Anything that can throw a wrench in their corrupt practices is a good thing. Naturally, it would be best to fix the corruption, but our politicians are owned by these corporations, so that is impossible.
Evan Taylor
There are more than plenty of white Americans you the diabeetus, you corporate cock sucking shit heel.
Michael Brooks
The drug companies don't have principles. You want us to fight with our hands tied behind our back with "principles"? Stop boomerposting.
