Starting 20 January the FDA and Customs and Border Protection will effectively ban almost all personal prescription imports, eliminating a channel that millions of Americans, especially those over 65, have used to obtain drugs from Canadian pharmacies at roughly one-third of U.S. prices.

U.S. prescription prices are roughly triple those in other affluent nations; surveys show six in ten adults worry about affording drugs, and personal imports have also reduced Medicare outlays by allowing seniors to avoid high domestic prices that trigger the $2,100 catastrophic threshold.

The author argues the ban protects pharmaceutical price-gouging rather than public safety, notes that prior state-import proposals stalled under industry opposition, and contends that the freedom to buy lower-priced medicines abroad should not be treated as a threat.

Pesident Trump loves protectionism but he gives Americans the same “protection” that the wolf gave to the lamb. On January 20, the Food and Drug Administration and Customs and Border Protection will effectively ban almost all personal prescription imports, bushwhacking millions of Americans who rely on Canadian pharmacies. 

Trump often brags that the US has the world’s lowest drug prices. He also brags that he has lowered drug prices by 500% so he starts out with a helluva cloud over his credibility. 

 In reality, prescription drug prices in the US are roughly triple the cost in other affluent nations. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey found the highest rate ever of Americans worried about affording prescription drugs – six out of ten adults. Almost half said they had not filled prescriptions, skipped doses, or took other steps to curtail their costs.

The Washington Post reported the case of 76-year-old Linda Klonsky suffering from meibomian gland dysfunction. She previously paid $250 for three months of eye drops shipped from Canada to her Silver Spring, Maryland home. But restrictions on........

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