Several bills are before Congress to permit so-called "reimportation" of pharmaceuticals from abroad; at the moment, the practice is technically illegal, but the authorities turn a blind eye to individuals bringing medicines for personal use across the border.
As far as I know, no pharmaceutical companies have yet threatened to cut off drug supplies to countries that allow reimportation to the U.S., but it sounds like a good idea to me.
That might be something for America's reimportation supporters to think about as they are drafting the laws.
Those leaders are now distancing themselves from the White House, saying they are determined to improve the law and demanding more legislation to cut drug costs, such as legalising the reimportation of drugs from Canada.The White House underestimated the confusion the new law would cause.
It did, however, suggest that safety might be more easily monitored if the drug traffic was run by authorised commercial wholesalers, rather than individual patients.Congress will take up the issue of reimportation this year.
One strategy is so-called "reimportation"—bringing in drugs from abroad.
Many American officials, and drugmakers, object to reimportation on the ground of safety, saying it exposes America to counterfeit drugs.
He wants to close Guantánamo and allow the reimportation of prescription drugs into the United States.
Just like that, Mr. Obama's staff signaled a willingness to put aside support for the reimportation of prescription medicines at lower prices and by doing so solidified a compact with an industry the president had vilified on the campaign trail.
But so far, the United States has only experienced the first stage of low natural-gas prices and the reimportation of energy intensive industries such as chemicals and steel because of low gas prices.
The government also prohibits "reimportation" of drugs made in the United States because it cannot guarantee the medications were not tampered with or stored improperly.
