Update on drug importation, February 2026

Well-meaning advocates continue to propose importing medicine from foreign countries to lower drug prices for Americans. Past efforts didn’t pay off financially and raised public health risks. Here’s the state of this issue today.

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Employers, do you know how much you’re paying PBMs?

Employers, do you know how much you’re paying PBMs? Pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) tactics have increased costs for patients and healthcare purchasers all while driving community pharmacies out of business and failing to deliver on their promise to lower medication costs. Learn more about these tactics and what states are doing to address them.

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Why not price caps?

Why are price caps a bad solution for medicine affordability? Americans need affordable access to medicines, but upper payment limits (UPLs) set by prescription drug affordability boards and Medicare Maximum Fair Prices (MFPs) are not viable solutions. In our complex drug supply chain, these price caps could bankrupt pharmacies and reduce patient access. Read our…

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Threats to HIV patients from criminals in the drug supply chain

Since 2019, federal prosecutors, drug manufacturers, and patient safety organizations have uncovered extensive criminal schemes targeting HIV medicines at every point in the supply chain. These schemes undermine trust in the healthcare system, and they endanger patients.

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Handout: The fake pill trade hasn’t gone away

Handout: The fake pill trade hasn’t gone away It’s been 10 years since deadly counterfeit prescription pills began killing Americans. News about fake pill deaths has become commonplace and advocates have made progress to protect lives, but many people still don’t know about this threat or the pill presses that make it possible. Share this…

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Handout: Illegal ingredients linked to knockoff weight loss drugs pouring in from foreign sources

Compounded versions of GLP-1 injectable treatments for diabetes and obesity have surged in popularity despite a lack the safety and efficacy assurances. The FDA has warned that these knockoff versions sometimes contain illicit semaglutide or tirzepatide—the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in weight loss drugs. Working with George Karavetsos, former director of FDA’s Office of Criminal…

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Five years of PDABs: broken promises, rising costs, and risks to access

Five years of PDABs: broken promises, rising costs, and risks to access (January 2025) Prescription Drug Affordability Boards (PDABs) have been created in several states with the goal to lower prescription drug costs for patients. One of the oldest, Maryland’s, is five years old, but it has yet to fulfill its promise to lower medicine…

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