Introduction
Over the past few years, the United States has been experiencing a drug shortage, resulting in legislation like the Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act. This legislation allowed pharmacies and American wholesalers to import prescription drugs from licensed Canadian sellers. During the last 50 years, life expectancy in the United States has been increasing, that is, 9.1years for males and 6.8 years for females. Despite this, there is a growing concern about this gap due to the high medical costs, especially pharmaceuticals. It is important to note that the per capita spending on health care and pharmaceuticals in the U.S is the highest globally. Moreover, the cost of prescription drugs has been increasing more than income. Notably, a quarter of Americans between 18 and 64 have challenges paying their medical bills, and others are unwilling to file their prescriptions due to insufficient funds. Due to these reasons, the import of prescription drugs from Canada to the United States should be widened.
A quarter of the population in the United States cannot afford to pay their medical bills or fill their prescriptions. Although most pharmaceuticals in the United States have a record of upholding justifiable prices for prescription drugs, there were various incidents in 2015 where there was a risk of excessive price increases for essential drugs. The prices of some drugs like Daraprim tripled from $13.50 to $ 750, yet in nations like the United Kingdom, it was sold at $1.50. As a result, most patients could not afford it, yet it was illegal to import it. Due to these facts, the import of prescribed drugs from Canada should be widened.
The cost of drugs in the United States is relatively high and thus makes it hard for older people to afford drugs in their country. XX notes that these increased costs do not mean that the U.S does not import pharmaceuticals from abroad. In 2014, the United States used more than $73.2 billion to import drugs. However, it is surprising to find out that elderly people travel to Canada regularly to purchase drugs for personal use. This is illegal and only permitted if a patient has a serious condition with no effective treatment and medication in the U.S. Due to these factors, the importation of prescription drugs from Canada should be increased to enable people to get effective medication and treatment.
However, if the importation of prescribed drugs from Canada is widened, Canada will experience a shortage of drugs. Bollyky & Kesselheim (2020) notes that Canada is a relatively small market that represents 2% of the total global drug sales. Notably, Canada also sources approximately 68% of its drug internationally. In this case, there is a need to maintain the national drug supply in the market, so increasing importation to the United States should not be allowed.
If importation is increased, unsafe drugs will be imported into the nation, which might compromise patients’ health. The main purpose of the FDA in America is to assess the safety and efficacy of drugs. However, the FDA has claimed there are inadequate resources to stop the shipment of illegal drugs. For example, the FDA checked three U.S. airports where there was a shipment from Canadian pharmacies, and they discovered a large portion of the drugs imported were unsafe and could not treat the intended diseases. This is a problem that will be more prevalent if importation is widened.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the importation of prescription drugs from Canada to the United States should be widened. Initially, this initiative was taken because the cost of prescription drugs in America was high compared to other nations globally. Many Americans who cannot afford these drugs are forced to travel to Canada to purchase them. While this initiative has not been welcomed by many, it will reduce cases like the illegal importation of prescription drugs in the country. Moreover, a significant percentage of Americans can afford to purchase prescription drugs.
References
Bollyky, T. J., & Kesselheim, A. S. (2020). Reputation and Authority: The FDA and the Fight over US Prescription Drug Importation. Vand. L. Rev., 73, 1331.
Rawson, N. S., & Binder, L. (2017). Importation of drugs into the United States from Canada. CMAJ, 189(24), E817-E818.
Sachs, R. E. (2021). The Rhetorical Transformations and Policy Failures of Prescription Drug Pricing Reform under the Trump Administration. Journal of health politics, policy, and law, 46(6), 1053–1068.
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