"Too many citizens who live in Maine must travel over the border to Canada to buy the prescription drugs that they need to stay healthy for much lower prices than they would pay at their neighborhood drug store," said Senator Collins. "It simply is not fair that American consumers are footing the bill for the remarkable, yet costly, advancements in pharmaceutical research and development, while our neighbors just across the border receive these medications at substantially lower prices."
The Gregg-Collins Safe IMPORT Act would allow individuals with a valid prescription to personally import up to a 90-day supply of FDA-approved prescription drug products. The drugs would have to be purchased from a licensed and FDA-registered pharmacy in Canada. The legislation would protect consumers from rogue Internet pharmacies by establishing federal licensing requirements and penalties for all Internet pharmacies that conduct or solicit business in the U.S.
"The Safe IMPORT Act will allow American consumers to benefit from international price competition on prescription drugs by permitting FDA-approved medicines made in FDA-approved facilities to be re-imported into this country. And it will ensure that this is done safely and responsibly," said Senator Collins. "For the first time ever, individuals will be able to legally import prescription drugs for their personal use."
Under the bill, the FDA would have similar authority over imported drugs as they have in ensuring the safety of imported food. If the FDA determines it can safely conduct this program, the legislation allows the agency to expand the program to allow prescription drug imports from up to 15 other Western European countries.
It is well documented that the average price of prescription drugs is much lower in Canada and Western Europe than in the United States. For example, it costs $112.00 in the United States to fill a prescription for Prilosec, a drug to treat heartburn. In Canada, that same prescription costs $59.00. It costs $89.00 to fill a prescription for the allergy drug Claritin in the U.S., and just $37.50 in Canada. And a prescription for Glucophage, which is used to treat Type II diabetes, costs $124.65 in the United States and just $26.47 in Canada.
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