Recently, physicians at the Interim Meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a policy supporting in-person purchase and importation of prescription drugs from licensed Canadian pharmacies, with the caveat that the safety of the import must be assured. The adoption of the policy comes in response to concerns that out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs are rising and hindering access to necessary medications.
The AMA support for in-person prescription drug importation from licensed Canadian pharmacies would also be conditioned on the importation of a limited quantity for personal use only. Medications imported in-person also must be approved by Health Canada, the government agency that reviews the safety, effectiveness and quality of prescription drugs authorized for sale in Canada.
The new AMA policy does not apply to the importation of prescription drugs via online or mail-order pharmacies, only physical brick and mortar pharmacies. In fact, the AMA already has a policy in place that opposes personal importation via the Internet until a time when patient safety can be assured.
In its report recommending the proposal, the AMA Council on Medical Service noted it would not be a comprehensive or long-term solution to drug affordability.
“Faced with high out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs, some Americans travel to Canada to purchase and import their medications, as it’s oftentimes more affordable,” said AMA President Barbara L. McAneny, M.D. “While it generally remains illegal for individuals to import prescription drugs into the U.S. for personal use, the FDA has used its enforcement discretion to allow the personal importation of prescription drugs under very limited circumstances. Allowing for the in-person importation of prescription drugs from Canada, if product integrity can be assured, represents a step forward, as well as a measured and conservative option to lower patient costs for prescription drugs.”
“The AMA policy comes as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and lawmakers are examining options to lower patient costs for prescription drugs, including through importing prescription drugs from Canada” said Dr. McAneny. “The new policy will help direct AMA support for relevant regulatory and legislative activity.”
HHS has the authority to permit importation of prescription drugs from Canada if the HHS Secretary certifies to Congress that the medications pose no additional risk to the public’s health and safety and that the important results in a significant reduction in the cost of the drugs to Americans. While that necessary certification has not yet been given, a work group requested by current HHS Secretary Alex Azar will assess how to safely import prescription drugs from other countries under certain narrow circumstances.
In addition, federal legislation has been introduced to permit prescription drug importation, while nine states have also introduced drug importation legislation this year. This proposal was first introduced and explored at an AMA meeting last year.