Importation Scheme Will Jeopardize Patient Health, Do Little to Lower Drug Costs
“Patients deserve access to the medicines they need with out-of-pocket costs they can afford. Under no circumstance should we risk patient safety to achieve this goal, yet that’s exactly what this dangerous importation scheme will do."
Washington, DC (December 18, 2019) – Following the release of the Trump administration’s drug importation proposal, BIO’s President and CEO Jim Greenwood issued the following statement:
“Patients deserve access to the medicines they need with out-of-pocket costs they can afford. Under no circumstance should we risk patient safety to achieve this goal, yet that’s exactly what this dangerous importation scheme will do. The idea that this plan will result in savings for patients at the pharmacy counter is a talking point that’s been debunked by nonpartisan budget experts and past FDA commissioners who served under both Republican and Democratic administrations.
“Following the recent vote on Speaker Pelosi’s extreme drug pricing plan, today’s announcement is the latest empty gesture from our elected lawmakers who want us to believe they’re serious about lowering patients’ prescription drug costs. It’s time Congress and the administration delivered a holistic solution that protects the health and well-being of patients and ensures medicines are affordable.”
Learn more:
- Issue Brief: Drug Importation
- Infographic: The Real Cost of Drug Importation
- DrugCostFacts.org: The Debate on Drug Importation
- WSJ: Drug Importation is “Impractical, Unsafe and Unlikely” to Lower Prices
- BIOtechNOW: The Empty Promise of “Safe” Drug Importation
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