Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
Learn more about Prescription Justice, why Americans pay more for prescription drugs, and how safe prescription drug importation can help lower prices and improve access.
What does Prescription Justice do? +
Prescription Justice advocates for safe drug importation policies and reforms that help Americans access lower-cost prescription drugs without sacrificing safety or quality. We work with Congress, policymakers, regulators, businesses, consumers, and the media on issues including drug pricing, drug safety, drug shortages, the global pharmaceutical supply chain, the U.S. manufacturing base, and national security.
Why does Prescription Justice focus on drug importation? +
Americans often pay far more for brand-name prescription drugs than patients in other high-income countries, even when the medicines are the same. Drug importation can allow Americans to access those lower prices directly.
Importation is not about opposing American manufacturing. The global pharmaceutical market already exists. Prescription Justice supports policies that allow Americans to benefit more fairly from it.
See the Prescription Justice Policy Platform.
What about buying cheaper prescription drugs from Canada and other countries now? +
Americans need lower prices now. Prescription Justice supports laws, regulations, and policies that protect patient access to safely imported prescription drugs at affordable prices.
Why are prescription drug prices so much higher in the U.S. than in other countries? +
Most high-income countries regulate or negotiate prescription drug prices in ways that keep prices substantially lower than those charged in the United States.
In much of the American market, drug companies are generally permitted to charge whatever the market will bear. As a result, Americans often pay the highest prices in the world for the same medicines.
Are there ways to find lower-cost medication in the U.S.? +
Yes. Most importantly, generic drugs in the United States are generally much less expensive than brand-name drugs. Less well-known is that generic drugs often (but not always) cost less in the U.S. than other countries.
For many patented, brand-name drugs, however, prices are often out of reach for those not fully covered by health insurance. Brand name drug prices are significantly and sometimes exorbitantly lower in other countries, including Australia, Canada, the countries of the European Union, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Consumers should consider comparing prices across pharmacies, discount programs, and other services.
Visit our RX Savings page to learn more.