Op-eds: Canadian and American regulators, law enforcement and patient advocates oppose drug importation

Since 2000, every head of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has opposed drug importation because the benefits that might be gained are far outweighed by the many dangers. Law enforcement, patient advocates, pharmacy groups, and regulators agree.

Importation was “a waste of valuable federal and state tax dollars,” says fiscally-focused advocacy group

Dec 4, 2020

In this editorial, which was posted on December 2, 2020, Citizens Against Government Waste decries the expense and futility drug importation.

There is no Way to Regulate the Quality of Drugs Imported by American Patients

Nov 1, 2020

This editorial by Brandon Macsata was published in The International Business Times on November 1, 2020. Macsata has been living with HIV since 2002, and serves as the CEO of the ADAP Advocacy Association, an organization that promotes the AIDS Drug Assistance Program and works to improve access to care.

picture of man at desk

“Reducing costs requires more than all of this non–value-added activity,” Expert Says

Oct 23, 2020

In this October 23, 2020 editorial, which was published in the The American Journal of Managed Care, Michael Abrams explains why drug importation will not save patients money. Abrams is the co-founder and managing partner of Numerof & Associates.

“…barriers will delay or prevent drug importation,” say regulatory experts

Oct 14, 2020

In this analysis, which was published in Lexology on October 13, 2020, three global regulatory experts examine barriers to drug importation.

US Attorney for Arizona Calls Illicit Fentanyl “The Most Dangerous Drug We Have Confronted as a Nation”

Oct 12, 2020

In the first seven months of 2020, the Arizona Department of Health Services reported over 2,700 newly suspected opioid overdose deaths in Arizona. What makes this figure more startling is that there were just over 3,800 suspected opioid deaths in the preceding 30 months. The problem is escalating, and rapidly.

Newspaper Editorial Board Says Canadian Drug Importation Will Have Limited Impact

Oct 8, 2020

The editorial board of the Florida Times-Union published an op-ed that states that Canadian drug importation will have a limited impact, and is a sign of a broken system, not a solution to one…

Sarah Ruth Bates

“These drugs would go through additional shipping, inspection and repackaging. Why would they be cheaper?”

Sep 2, 2020

In this editorial, which was published in WBUR’s Cognoscenti on September 2, 2020, writer Sarah Ruth Bates explains why Canadian drug importation is too expensive and elaborate a solution to be effective.

Louisiana AG Warns About Counterfeit Pills On College Campuses

Aug 20, 2020

In this editorial, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry warns parents and students about the dangers posed by counterfeit pills being sold on college campuses.

Photo of patient advocate John Adams

Canadian patient advocate urges American friends to reject the “empty promises” of importation

Aug 14, 2020

In this August 14, 2020 editorial, Best Medicines Coalition chair John Adams explains why Canadian importation will not lower U.S. medicine prices—and why the “concept of cheap drugs from Canada has never been anything more than a political hallucination.”

Citizens Against Government Waste Warns Drug Importation Executive Orders Will Cost Patients in More Ways Than One

Jul 28, 2020

In this July 28, 2020 editorial published in the WasteWatcher blog, Elizabeth Wright argues that the administration’s Executive Order will “encourage more illegal behavior and a greater production of counterfeit drugs from countries like China, Mexico, and India.” Wright is the Director of Health and Public Policy for Citizens Against Government Waste