Senators Klobuchar, Grassley, King & Collins Urges Biden Administration to Allow Personal Rx Importation
Washington, DC – The Campaign for Personal Prescription Importation (CPPI) today released a statement in support of the bipartisan letter sent by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Charles Grassley (R-IA), Angus King (I-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) that urged Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and the Biden Administration to advance policies that will allow Americans to personally import prescription drugs from Canada in order to help lower Americans’ prescription drug costs.
“Fully authorizing Americans to personally import safe prescription medicines from Canada is an immediate step that can drastically lower the costs of prescription drugs in the U.S.,” says Jack Pfeiffer, Executive Director of the Campaign for Personal Prescription Importation. “All Americans deserve access to affordable prescription medications; and advancing personal importation would ensure patients recoup all available savings, as opposed to state and wholesale importation plans that limit savings and add middlemen.”
The bipartisan Senate letter follows the administration’s recent Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy, which recognized that prescription drug prices can be lowered through allowing states and tribes to safely import less expensive drugs from Canada.
In CPPI surveys, Americans reported saving an average of $2,736 a year on personally imported prescription drugs from certified online Canadian pharmacies compared to costs in the U.S. CPPI cost comparisons show that Americans can find 50% to 90% savings on the same name brand medications at online Canadian pharmacies compared to leading U.S. pharmacies such as CVS, Walgreens, Amazon and GoodRx.
The full text of the bipartisan Senate letter can be found HERE and below.
Dear Secretary Becerra:
The safe importation of prescription drugs from Canada can serve as a critical solution for reducing the amount Americans pay for their prescription drugs. That is why we encourage your support and consideration of policies that will allow Americans to personally import certain prescription drugs from Canada.
Americans, on average, pay the highest prescription drug prices in the world and are struggling to afford the medications they need. Last year, one in three Americans saw their out-of-pocket medication costs increase, and that has real consequences. Nearly 30 percent of adults report not taking their medicines as prescribed because of the cost.
The Administration’s recent Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy recognized that prescription drug prices can be lowered through the importation of safe and cheaper drugs from Canada. We agree that importation should be part of the effort to lower the cost of prescription drugs, and that is why we have proposed bipartisan legislation—the Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act—to permit personal importation of certain safe and effective prescription drugs from approved pharmacies in Canada. Americans should be able to obtain affordable medications, and expanding access to safe and affordable drugs in Canada can make a difference by providing direct relief to the millions of Americans who are struggling to afford the increasing cost of prescription drugs.
As the Administration considers options for lowering the cost of prescription drugs for patients, we urge your support for permanent solutions that will allow Americans to safely and personally import their medication.
Thank you for your continued support on this important issue.
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