The Americans are to blame for the lack of drugs in Canada
Americans are buying up Canadian insulin, which is several times cheaper than in the United States. In recent years, there have been thousands of cases of drug shortages in Canada.
Americans make regular trips to Canada to buy drugs at a low price. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has been spotted among the shoppers. On Sunday, July 28, he joined a group of diabetics in Windsor, Ontario, to buy insulin, a life-saving drug for regulating blood sugar.
Like many industrialized countries, Canada regulates pharmaceutical prices. It has a Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. While this organization does not control retailer markups, generic prices, or prices that reimburse drug insurance, it does make sure that drugs do not cost more than they do in other countries.
In contrast, in the U.S., the prices of pharmaceutical products, including insulin, are not regulated in any way. According to the International Federation of Health Plans, U.S. residents pay 2 to 6 times more for drugs than residents of other countries. An ampoule of insulin costs about $340 in the U.S., about 10 times more than in Canada. According to CBC News, the cost of this drug in the States has risen 97% in the past 4 years. Meanwhile, in the 1920s, Canadian physician Frederick Bunting, one of the discoverers of the hormone insulin, sold his share of the patent to the University of Toronto for only $1 because he wanted this life-saving drug to be available to everyone.
Americans actively purchase insulin in Canada also because it does not require a prescription.
The law does not prohibit Americans from buying drugs in Canada as long as they purchase products for their own use with no more than a 3-month supply.
On Friday, July 26, the Canadian Pharmacist Association released a statement saying drug shortages have "increased significantly" across the country over the past 5 years. According to the published document, 67% of pharmacies in Canada face drug shortages several times a day, and 25% of Canadians have reported drug shortages in the past 3 years.
Imports of drugs from Canada are banned in most states because authorities south of the border believe their neighbor to the north does not adhere to sufficiently stringent standards of drug production. However, 10 U.S. states have already allowed imports. Therefore, drug shortages in Canada are expected to become even more acute. Canadian pharmacists claim that their products will not suffice for two countries.
