British Columbia’s health minister says the possibility of Canadian medicines being exported to the U.S. province would be devastating, but he doesn’t believe it will actually happen.
In an interview broadcast on Sunday rosemary burton liveAdrian Dix says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision to allow Florida to import millions of dollars worth of prescription drugs from Canada is a major threat and could lead to a shortage of prescription drugs in the country. He said there was a risk.
“This is effectively a raid on Canada’s drug supply,” he told CBC’s chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton.
On Friday, the FDA announced it would approve Florida’s request to allow Canadian drug purchases as part of an effort to save up to $150 million a year. ”
“After years of obstruction by federal bureaucrats, Florida now has access to low-cost, lifesaving prescription drugs,” said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. “It’s time for the FDA to put patients over politics and the interests of Floridians over Big Pharma.”
Rosemary Burton speaks with British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix about the province’s response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has allowed provinces to import prescription drugs from Canada. In recent years, Canada has faced shortages of a variety of drugs, including the popular weight loss drug and diabetes drug Ozempic.
Pharmaceutical companies oppose the move, with the head of one of the nation’s largest lobbying groups calling the idea “reckless.” Canadian industry had a similar response.
“Historically, we’ve had some pretty devastating drug shortages in Canada, so the idea that Canada would be able to import drugs is not realistic,” said Joel Walker, vice-president of public relations for the Canadian Pharmacists Association. .
“I’m skeptical that it will actually be realized in its current form, but I want to thoroughly consider it and make sure there are no omissions,” he said.
This is the second time in recent years that a move south of the border to divert drugs from this country poses a threat to the Canadian market. In 2019, then-President Donald Trump supported a plan to allow bulk imports of the drug, but Canada moved to halt exports.
Dix says Ottawa has the means to block exports.
“It would be a serious problem if something like this were allowed to happen, but I don’t think it will,” Dix said. He cited federal authority and opposition from drug companies as the main reasons the proposal hasn’t gotten off the ground.
“I think this is more about very strange American politics than any serious proposal for the future.”
The health minister said he still expects the federal government to step up now to ensure Canada’s drug supply is protected.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given the state of Florida permission to buy cheaper prescription drugs wholesale from Canada, reigniting concerns about drug shortages in the country.
“The federal government has the authority to address this…This is clearly going to cause drug shortages,” Dix said.
Federal Health Minister Mark Holland said in a statement Friday that the government will act to ensure Canadians do not face shortages.
“Canadians can be confident that our government will continue to take all necessary steps to protect the supply of medicines in Canada,” he said.
Health Canada said in a statement Friday that existing regulations prohibit sales outside Canada “if the sale is likely to cause or exacerbate drug shortages in Canada.”
Dix said the words are encouraging, but the British Columbia government will follow up to ensure Canadians are protected.
He noted that the state acted in a similar case, the export of the diabetes drug Ozempic, which is now commonly used off-label as a weight loss drug. The updated regulations have almost completely reduced these exports, he said.
“In this case, the scale is completely different,” Dix said.
