WOOD Radio Local News

WOOD Radio Local News

WOOD Radio Local News

 

Senate bill would allow importation of prescription drugs from Canada

LANSING, Mich. -- Michiganders would potentially pay a lot less for prescription drugs under a bill reintroduced in the state Senate on Thursday.

24th District Republican Senator Ruth Johnson, R-Holly, sponsored the measure that would allow people to purchase prescriptions that originate in Canada at a discounted price. Ruth, a former Michigan Secretary of State, cites as an example one popular diabetes drug that is very expensive in this country.

"Ozempic is $936 in the United States for one month's supply, but only $147 in Canada. That's a 537-percent markup," she said.

Johnson told WOOD Radio that 58 percent of Michiganders are not taking the medication prescribed by their doctors because they can't afford it.

"It's simply not fair," she said.

Her Senate bill (SB #563) would allow people to buy the prescription drugs from Canada at a much lower cost.

Johnson said a recent study by Statista found that the price of patented drugs in the United States was on average 332 percent more than the price of the same patented drug in Canada.

Eight states have already passed laws allowing for such programs, and six are awaiting FDA approval.

“Many Michigan families are struggling to make ends meet with higher prices on everyday items, but the difficulty to afford lifesaving and quality-of-life medications has been going on for decades,” Johnson said.

###

State Sen. Ruth Johnson Photo: Source: Michigan Senate Republican website


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content