CANADA/DRUGS/HHS/PHARMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration took a step Wednesday [7-31-19] toward allowing 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. The agency also said it would allow drugmakers to bring drugs that they sell more cheaply in foreign countries into the United States for sale here, an option the companies are unlikely to embrace. Capital Alpha analyst Rob Smith, in a research note, questioned why manufacturers would voluntarily lower prices in the United States to match those in Canadian or any other foreign country.”
–Michael Erman, “Trump firms up plan to import medicines; pharma companies resist,” Reuters, July 31, 2019 5:41 am