Senator Murray Lands Historic Bipartisan Agreement to Allow Drug Importation from Canada

Sweeping FDA legislation negotiated by Senator Murray includes requirement to make drug importation from Canada a reality and lower drug costs for patients

Senator Murray: “People across Washington state have been calling for Congress to get this done so they can afford the drugs they need— it’s my job to make their voices heard right here in Congress and to take meaningful steps to implement safe drug importation that will help lower costs.”

(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, released the following statement on the HELP Committee voting to pass a bipartisan deal to establish safe drug importation from Canada which she negotiated as part of the FDA Safety and Landmark Advancements (FDASLA) Act.

“People across Washington state have been calling for Congress to get this done so they can afford the drugs they need—it’s my job to make their voices heard right here in Congress and to take meaningful steps to implement safe drug importation that will help lower costs. This is a watershed moment—because it will meaningfully bring down drug prices and open the door to further progress on this important issue. I’m glad I was able to work with Senator Burr and Senator Sanders on the policy we passed out of Committee today. And I’m going to keep working in a bipartisan way to get this signed into law, and make safe drug importation a reality for families across the country.”

The importation provision in FDASLA negotiated by Senator Murray would establish safe drug importation from Canada by:

• removing barriers that have prevented personal importation in the past and paving the way for FDA to establish a program for importation of prescription drugs for personal use—while ensuring the drugs are the same safe and effective drugs available domestically;
• building on work FDA has begun to expand commercial importation of less costly prescription drugs from Canada by states, Indian Tribes, and other groups;
• and giving FDA the tools it needs to quickly address any importation program that poses a risk to public health and safety.

The drug importation provision is Section 906 of FDASLA.

Section-by-section of FDASLA HERE. Legislative text HERE.

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