The Trump administration outlined on Wednesday a proposal that would allow the U.S. to legally import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada, a tactic the U.S. pharmaceutical industry and regulators have warned could threaten consumer safety.





Under the plan, states, wholesalers and pharmacists, acting as intermediaries for consumers, would draft a proposal for safe importation of prescription drugs already available in the U.S. The groups would then submit the proposal to the Food and Drug Administration for approval.





“President Trump has been clear: for too long American patients have been paying exorbitantly high prices for prescription drugs that are made available to other countries at lower prices, ” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement. “Today’s announcement outlines the pathways the administration intends to explore to allow safe importation of certain prescription drugs to lower prices and reduce out of pocket costs for American patients.”