People who rely on cheaper Canadian drugs could breathe a bit easier Thursday after the Trump Administration agreed to delay a new federal rule threatening their availability.
The administration has said the rule is meant to stop the illegal import of opioids in low-value shipments, those worth less than $800, that face looser inspections at the border. It was set to take effect Oct. 22 but is now delayed at least 90 days after the uproar it was causing.
Dr. Michelle Migliore is St. Joseph County’s public health officer but she also has a family medicine practice. She says her patients have been worried about the change.
Many brand name drugs are cheaper in Canada because, unlike the U.S., the government caps drug prices. For example, Migliore says many of her patients take the blood thinner eliquis.
“In Canada they can get a month’s supply for about $300 and in the U.S. they’re paying upwards of, say, $725 a month," Migliore says. "So it makes a huge difference, especially for seniors that are on fixed incomes, and this would not necessarily be their only medication that they have to take.”
