US

FDA Is Reneging On Trump Campaign Promise To Allow Drug Imports

REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Alex Pfeiffer White House Correspondent
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As a candidate, Donald Trump supported allowing the importation of pharmaceuticals from Canada. However, as president his administration has raided businesses facilitating this process after years of non-enforcement.

“Congress will need the courage to step away from the special interests and do what is right for Americans… Allowing consumers access to imported, safe and dependable drugs from overseas will bring more options to consumers,” Trump’s campaign healthcare reform proposal stated.

The importation of Canadian drugs is currently illegal, although several businesses in Florida exist to facilitate the process.

Kaiser Health News reported Monday that the Federal Drug Administration raided these stores, some of which have been open for 15 years.

“None of the stores has [sic] closed, but their owners are scared the Trump administration has reversed a long-standing ‘non-enforcement’ policy against the stores,” Kaiser Health News reported.

The businesses don’t distribute drugs, and instead connect costumers with Canadian pharmacies that ship the pharmaceuticals. An FDA spokeswoman would not tell Kaiser Health News whether the agency has reversed its policy.

“The FDA is concerned about the safety risks associated with the importation of unapproved prescription drugs from foreign countries,” spokeswoman Lyndsay Meyer said. “Drug products that come from unknown or foreign sources may be unregulated or subject to less oversight than U.S. requirements.”

Proponents of allowing the importation of Canadian drugs, like then-candidate Donald Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders, say that it would lead to cheaper prescription pill costs.

At the same time that Trump was supporting this policy on the campaign trail, his pick to lead the FDA, Scott Gottlieb, wrote an op-ed saying that Trump’s plan “will offer consumers little relief.”

The White House did not respond to a press inquiry.