Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
National

Move to allow Canadian drugs to be imported by U.S. creates shortage fears

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 05 Jan, 2024 01:51 PM
  • Move to allow Canadian drugs to be imported by U.S. creates shortage fears

A major shift in United States pharmaceutical policy allowing for the importation of drugs from Canada is creating fears about future drug shortages in this country.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans Friday to allow Florida to import millions of dollars worth of pharmaceuticals from Canadian wholesalers as a way to avoid the high cost of drugs in that country.

The decision is not great news for Canada, which has more frequently faced acute drug shortages over the last several years, said Joelle Walker, vice-president of public affairs for the Canadian Pharmacists Association.

The population of Florida is more than half the number of people who live in all of Canada. And beyond Florida, other American states are eyeing similar requests to the FDA to address the cost of drugs.

"To look to Canada as their pharmacy is just not practical. We can't do it, it's not possible," Walker said.

Over the last several years Canada has run short on a range of drugs, from children's fever medication, to certain cancer drugs and, more recently, the popular weight-loss and diabetes management drug Ozempic.

Florida's proposal includes medications for asthma; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD; diabetes; HIV and AIDS; and mental illness.

But the threat is not immediate, Walker said, and people should not rush to refill their prescriptions.

Florida still has more work to do to prove imports would actually save Americans money without sacrificing public safety, as well as test the drugs to make sure they’re authentic and relabel them so that they comply with U.S. standards.

"That in itself could actually be quite cost prohibitive and we hope will be a disincentive for Florida from proceeding," Walker said.

Canada also has several safeguards to try to prevent manufacturers from shipping medication south, she said.

If a manufacturer wants to export drugs to the U.S., it would need Health Canada's approval, which the federal regulator would presumably deny if it feared a shortage.

The U.S. pays by far the highest price for patented medicines among members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, with essentially no government limits on what companies can charge. While Canada pays far less by comparison, its prices still ranked third highest as of 2021.

Americans have long been able to fill prescriptions from Canadian pharmacies, but the newly announced policy change affects mass imports.

The FDA's decision follows years of successful lobbying against the idea by the pharmaceutical industry, which said imports would expose U.S. patients to risks of counterfeit or adulterated drugs. The FDA also previously warned of the difficulties of assuring the safety of drugs originating from outside the U.S.

The politics surrounding the issue have shifted in recent years, with both Democrats and Republicans doubling down on the import approach.

The medications would be only for certain people, including foster children, inmates, certain geriatric patients and — eventually — Medicaid recipients.

MORE National ARTICLES

Federal government posts $8.2 billion deficit between April and September this year

Federal government posts $8.2 billion deficit between April and September this year
The federal government recorded a budgetary deficit of $8.2 billion between April and September, $3.9 billion of which was in September.  The finance department says in its monthly fiscal monitor that the deficit between April and September compared to a surplus of $1.7 billion during the same period last year. 

Federal government posts $8.2 billion deficit between April and September this year

Locked out Rogers Communications workers in B.C. ratify five-year contract

Locked out Rogers Communications workers in B.C. ratify five-year contract
Nearly 300 Rogers Communications workers have voted strongly in favour of a new contract, ending a company lockout that began two weeks ago. The United Steelworkers union Local 1944, Unit 60, says in a statement that its members voted 96 per cent in favour of ratifying the tentative agreement reached last Friday.

Locked out Rogers Communications workers in B.C. ratify five-year contract

'Bank of mom and dad' study: B.C. high earners get housing boost if parents also own

'Bank of mom and dad' study: B.C. high earners get housing boost if parents also own
A Statistics Canada study into what it calls the "bank of mom and dad" shows home ownership among young high earners in British Columbia increases more than anywhere else in Canada if their parents are homeowners, too. The study also finds that nationally, people born in the 1990s are twice as likely to own a home if their parents are homeowners, compared to those whose parents are not.

'Bank of mom and dad' study: B.C. high earners get housing boost if parents also own

Port Moody Police arrest knife brandishing teen

Port Moody Police arrest knife brandishing teen
Police in Port Moody are investigating after arresting a 15-year-old who allegedly brandished a knife while chasing another teen through a crowd of students at a busy bus stop. Police say it happened yesterday afternoon (in the 13-hundred block of David Avenue) when a fight between two young people escalated into the armed chase.

Port Moody Police arrest knife brandishing teen

Eby says governments must step up on housing, can't rely on private sector

Eby says governments must step up on housing, can't rely on private sector
British Columbia Premier David Eby says it's "hard to understand" why other politicians still believe in relying on the private sector to deliver affordable housing and instead it's time for governments to step up. Eby says there are proposals at the federal level to sell public land and buildings to help solve the crisis, but B.C. is doing the opposite by taking inventory of provincially and municipally owned land in order to build more homes.

Eby says governments must step up on housing, can't rely on private sector

Victoria Police warn pedestrians of cougar roaming near downtown

Victoria Police warn pedestrians of cougar roaming near downtown
Police are warning pedestrians about an adult cougar roaming near downtown Victoria, telling them to avoid the area this morning. Victoria Police say on social media the cougar was spotted near Jutland Road and Dunedin Street, near the Victoria waterfront and north of the downtown core.

Victoria Police warn pedestrians of cougar roaming near downtown