Senators propose 'targeted' drug imports

U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) asked HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell to allow targeted importation of lower cost drugs from Canada to address dramatic drug price increases highlighted in recent news reports. Both senators have long championed drug importation.

In a Nov. 20 letter, Grassley and McCain noted that the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 gives FDA authority to allow drug importation if HHS can certify that importation poses no risk to the health and safety of Americans and would lead to significant cost reductions. HHS secretaries in Republican and Democratic administrations have determined that these criteria have not been satisfied. ...