Canadian Pharmaceutical Groups Urges Officials To Act Before There Are Drug Shortages From U.S. Importation
Innovative Medicines Canada has in early drafts even urged the country to ban drug exports “unless otherwise permitted by regulation.” The group's efforts suggest the industry is eager to derail the Trump administration’s plan to allow Americans to import cheaper drugs from their northern neighbor.
Reuters:
Drug Industry Urges Canada To Act Early On U.S. Import Plan
Canada's main pharmaceutical lobby group has urged the government not to wait for drug shortages before responding to U.S. plans to import Canadian drugs, according to documents seen by Reuters. The talking points were prepared last month by Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC) for its staff and member companies, before the Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it would allow U.S. states and other groups to start pilot programs importing cheap drugs from Canada in an effort to lower drug costs. (Martell, 8/5)
In other pharmaceutical news —
Stat:
Amid Rising Concern, Pay-To-Play Clinical Trials Are Drawing Federal Scrutiny
These studies have caught the attention of federal regulators. The Food and Drug Administration recently asked a federal advisory committee to consider how the research community should think about such trials, an agency spokesperson confirmed. Members of that panel are now drafting recommendations on the issue. And the National Institutes of Health asked the committee to consider whether its existing resources to guide patients considering a clinical trial are adequate for scenarios in which they are being asked to pay, a spokesperson for that agency confirmed. (Robbins, 8/6)
