HHS unveils plan to allow drug imports to lower cost

July 31 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday a preliminary plan to allow the importation of certain, less costly prescription drugs from overseas.

The plan will allow states and pharmacies to present importation pilot programs to the HHS for approval. It is the first of several steps before patients will have access foreign drugs.

"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," HHS 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. This is the next important step in the administration's work to end foreign freeloading and put American patients first."

Democrats have long favored importing drugs to stifle rising costs, while Republicans have been cautious due to safety concerns. Since he took office, Trump has made multiple efforts to attack high drug prices and has made it a key part of his administration's healthcare push.

"Driving down drug prices requires a comprehensive approach and we must continue to look at all innovative solutions to this challenge," acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless said in a statement.

"Today's proposal is the result of the hard work by the dedicated staff of the FDA, in close collaboration with HHS and the White House, to identify potential pathways we can pursue to support the safe importation of certain prescription drugs."

Health officials did not estimate a timeline for when the plan would take effect, but experts say it could take years to implement and could be challenged in court. Some states -- including Florida and Colorado -- have already passed drug import laws, and several others have proposed the idea.