(Reuters) – Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed a law on Wednesday that will allow the import of prescription drugs from Canada into the U.S. state in a move that would help tackle rising drug prices.
The law is yet to be certified by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is opposed to the idea.
“Canada simply doesn’t have enough drugs to sell them to us for less money, and drug companies won’t sell Canada or Europe more just to have them imported here,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said https://www.hhs.gov/about/leadership/secretary/speeches/2018-speeches/fixing-healthcare-driving-value-through-smart-purchasing-and-policy.html on Wednesday.
The Trump administration is instead considering expanding Medicare’s ability to negotiate drug prices by giving private payers a role in setting the cost of medicines administered in hospitals and doctors’ offices.
(Reporting by Mrinalini Krothapalli; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
