Senator Stabenow Introduces Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act to Help Lower Cost of Medicine

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) joined her colleagues to introduce legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs by allowing Americans to buy safe, low-cost medicine from Canada.  The bill, S.469 the Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act, was introduced by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Robert Casey (D-PA), along with 16 others.  The bill authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services in two years to allow importation from other advanced countries.

Senator Stabenow has long championed legislation to allow seniors to buy more affordable prescription drugs from Canada.  She has authored bipartisan bills in the Senate that address the high cost of prescription drugs by allowing American consumers to buy lower-priced, FDA-approved prescription drugs from countries with strict safety regulations like our own, including Canada. She also organized bus trips from Michigan to Canada to purchase prescriptions to highlight these major cost differences.

“For years, Michigan families have had to pay high costs for prescription drugs they need when the same drugs are available at a lower price just across the border in Canada,” said Senator Stabenow.  “Seniors and families should not have to choose between paying for groceries and life-saving medicine.  It’s time to make sure that safe prescription medications are accessible to people who rely on them at an affordable price.”  

In Canada and other major countries, the same medications, manufactured by the same companies, in the same factories are available for a fraction of the price compared to the United States. In 2014, Americans spent $1,112 per person on prescription drugs while Canadians spent $772 and Danes spent $325.

For a summary of the bill and background, click here.

To read the bill, click here.