Statement by Mary R. Grealy, President, Healthcare Leadership Council on Prescription Drug Importation Legislation in the U.S. Senate

Proponents of prescription drug importation paint the concept as a panacea that would provide access to low-cost medications. The truth is more complex and more perilous for patients, consumers and the future development of new cures and improved treatments.

The prevalence of counterfeit and improperly altered drugs is a very real global problem. The World Health Organization has estimated that 10 percent of the medications on the worldwide market are counterfeits. Americans have died as a result of these fake medicines. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration works diligently and effectively to ensure that the prescription drugs on which millions rely are safe and effective. It may seem a benign step to allow drugs from Canada to flow into our country, but because we can’t oversee the sourcing of drugs attained by Canadian pharmacies, importation legislation would make it more difficult for the FDA and law enforcement authorities to protect consumer health.

Lawmakers also need to acknowledge that prescription drug importation is tantamount to importing other governments’ price controls. The Medicare Part D prescription drug program has provided affordable, accessible medications to millions by relying upon consumer choice and private sector competition instead of government price controls. Importing the heavy-handed pricing policies of other nations will inarguably have an adverse effect on progress being made on new therapies for cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other life-threatening illnesses.

The U.S. Senate has rejected this bad idea for over two decades. It should continue to do so.