Phil Scott, the Republican governor of Vermont, signed a law that will allow the importation of prescription drugs from Canada.
Those in favor of the law believe it will help combat rising drug prices; Vermont’s Democrat-controlled state legislature overwhelmingly supported the legislation, Politico reported.
A number of steps remain before the program can be enacted. The state must send a certification request to the federal government, and Vermont has not yet set up a funding method to pay for the program, the report said.
President Donald Trump had previously supported the idea of importing drugs from Canada, but top Trump health officials have criticized the idea, with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar saying the notion of importing drugs from another country is a “gimmick,” the report said.
“The United States has the safest regulatory system in the world. The last thing we need is open borders for unsafe drugs in search of savings that cannot be safely achieved. You can’t improve competition and choice in our drug markets with gimmicks like these — you have to boost competition and price transparency,” Azar said, Politico reported.
The Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America also criticized the legislation. Spokeswoman Caitlin Carroll said it was “highly irresponsible” and the program would cause more counterfeit drugs to come into the U.S.
Drugs in Canada cost an average of 30 percent less than in the United States. The National Academy for State Health Policy said Vermont is the first state in the U.S. to approve importing drugs from that country, The Burlington Free Press reported.
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