If you legalized re-importing drugs with current laws on the books, there would be no brand name drugs available for sale in Canada. Drug companies would ration them, and Canadian pharmacists would have to choose between selling to Canadians or price shopping Americans. Canada would make it illegal to sell to foreigners. Problem solved.
Canada sets price controls on the basis of provincially negotiated pricing which is then published and emulated nation wide. The pricing negotiated is also set on the basis of the estimated efficacy of the drugs in question. Sensible practices, particularly since America's politicians protect drug companies with legislation like the republican Medicare drug bill.
In your interpretation...Canada gets what it needs at lower costs, re-importation is nullified by supply limits and resale bans, America still pays high prices because the fed won't use it's buying power to negotiate lower prices, nothing is changed, America continues to subsidize Canada's system of price controls and coordinated buying approach. A more likely outcome from your article follows:
The ban should be lifted, therefore, not to encourage reimportation, which isn't likely to happen, but simply to allow market practices to surface. Today, with their high-profit American market protected, companies don't have to bargain hard abroad. The ban shields them, allowing them to claim they have to accept foreign price controls. Practically, Americans are subsidizing socialized medical systems abroad.
Al |
