Lawmakers Push Trump to Rethink Rule on Imported Meds — SkimNews
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- Congressional lawmakers are urging the Trump administration to rethink a federal rule going into effect next month that could restrict Americans' access to imported prescription medicines.
- The pending rule requires medicines mailed from abroad to pass through a customs process mandating a licensed customs broker and a financial guarantee in the form of an entry bond.
- The new requirements add burden and cost for Americans who have long received prescriptions from Canada and other countries to save money on expensive drugs.
- The demand for cheaper imports began roughly two decades ago as U.S. drug prices rose, prompting some Americans to take bus rides to Canada to buy medications.
- Current U.S. law makes it illegal to import most medicines for personal use because the drugs often have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as safe and effective.
Why it matters: Americans who rely on cheaper imported prescriptions from licensed international pharmacies face new customs-broker fees and entry-bond costs as soon as next month, with no FDA-approved safety rationale addressed in the rulemaking itself — lawmakers argue the process, not the patient access, should be reconsidered.
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