Bill to Trade Prescription Drugs from Canada is Passed by the Texas House

A bipartisan proposal put forth by the Texas House could spare Texans up to 70 % on the price of some frequently prescribed prescribed medications.

State Representative James Talarico ( D ), who wrote House Bill 25, would establish a program to import specific medications from Canada.

Talarico stated in a Twitter tweet on April 12 that” Texans pay TWICE as much as Canadians for their prescribed drugs.” However, that’s’s about to alter. My proposal to buy inexpensive prescription medicines from Canada was simply passed by the Texas House.

The House approved the proposed test with a nearly unanimous ballot of 144 to 1, with four abstaining. Democrat representatives James Frank, Dustin Burrows, Stephanie Klick, and Democrat representatives Toni Rose co-authored the document.

” In order to save lives in our state, the purpose of this act is to successfully buy those inexpensive prescription drugs from Canada. In an interview on WFAA’s’s Inside Texas Politics on Sunday, Talarico stated that we could expect to save between 60 and 70 percent on the cost of frequently prescribed medications like cancer, blood pressure, and asthma medications — medication that people need for themselves and their families.

According to Talarico, Democratic state senator Sen. Charles Perry is in charge of the policy, which is anticipated to complete with a majority of bipartisan support.

Trump – Years Act Set the Stage

Texas hopes to visit a select group of states that are attempting to lower consumer drug costs by importing medications from Canada.

Then-President Donald Trump authorized the import of drugs from Canada in November 2020, opening the door for states to launch initiatives to provide consumers with access to less expensive medications.

Many states have also passed legislation to enforce programs for importing medications from Canada, including Florida, Colorado, Maine, New Hampshire, and New Mexico.

Each state must submit its proposal for certification to the U.S. Health and Human Services ( HHS ) in order to take part in the program. The plan must adhere to Section 804 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act’s’s comfort and cost-saving needs.

Despite guidance from 78 % of Americans, the system has not yet been put into action, according to Talarico.

Big Pharma, also known as Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America( PhRMA ), filed a lawsuit against HHS in late 2020 to stop the drug importation program.

According to the complaint, according to EndPoints News, PhRMA claimed that the HHS and FDA’s’s actions” would force pharmacists and wholesalers to buy particular prescription drugs from Canada into the United States without drug manufacturers’ authorization or oversight, presenting substantial safety risks.”

Big Pharma’s’s petition and efforts to halt the export were dismissed in February by District Judge Timothy Kelly in Washington, D.C.