Prescription Drug Importation

Panelists debated the pros and cons of prescription drug importation. Supporters pointed out that because many other industrialized countries use price controls to lower prescription costs, the prices of the same drugs in the U.S. are artificially inflated. They contended that lowering prescription drug costs would not limit research efforts, and that imported drugs can be effectively screened for safety. Opponents of importation argued that the profits generated by prescription drugs in the U.S. fund vital research efforts to produce new drugs, and that importation could lead to the distribution of unsafe prescription drugs. close