Canadians, furious about the Trump administration's plan to allow the importation of their prescription drugs, are discussing several ways to stop the proposal, according to STAT.
The plan, announced last month, would allow states, wholesalers and pharmacies to import drugs from Canada. The proposal immediately prompted concern from Canadian health officials that the plan could cause shortages and affect drug costs in the country.
Four ways some Canadian say the plan could be thwarted:
1. Adding prescription medications to Canada's export control list would require exporters to get permission from Canada before shipping drugs across borders. Canada's federal Cabinet can add products to this list at anytime, as long as it can prove it is in the nation's best interest. The export control list is primarily used to prevent the export of deadly weapons, according to STAT.
2. Implementing a new law, such as explicitly banning exports of drugs meant for Canadians
3. Imposing tariffs or taxes on drugs. If Canada imposes tariffs or taxes on drugs, it could ultimately make the drugs more expensive for Americans than if they received them from home.
4. Waiting and seeing. Existing contracts between wholesalers and drugmakers make it almost impossible to send prescription drugs across the border, according to the report. Wholesalers would need to decide whether they want to break or renegotiate these contracts, and the U.S. lobby group representing these distributors have said President Donald Trump's plan is "not worth the risk," according to STAT. This means that the proposal could not work, even if it does advance.
Access the full STAT report here.