ALBANY – Senator James Skoufis (D, Cornwall) has announced the State Senate has passed a bill that creates a prescription drug importation program, allowing for less expensive prescriptions to be imported from Canada.
Skoufis sponsored Bill S9838 with substantial backing from the AARP and pushback from pharmaceutical lobbyists. The Assembly was on the verge of passing the bill through its chamber last week, but time ran out of session.
Skoufis said that there is a good chance that a special session will be convened over the summer to complete this and other pressing legislation. The prescription drug importation program would create a state program to import medications from other countries at lower costs. They would be restricted to those that meet certain standards, including drugs that are expected to generate substantial savings for consumers.
“My office and I pushed our priorities until the very last moments of session last week and delivered on our commitment to always put Orange County first,” Skoufis said. “There’s additional work that’s required, however, and I look forward to the possibility of returning to Albany this summer for a special session to get our prescription savings bill – and other important legislation – across the finish line.”
Prescription drug prices in the United States are significantly higher than in other countries, with prices averaging 2.78 times those seen in 33 other nations, according to the research group Rand Health Care.
