The Texas House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved a bill that would source prescription drugs from Canada.
House Bill 25 passed with a nearly unanimous vote of 144 to one.
Texas lawmakers will work with Canadian officials to determine which medications would result in savings for citizens and create the Texas Wholesale Prescription Drug Importation Program. There are currently no estimates on the potential savings.
The bill requires that each imported medication meet FDA standards.
HB 25 also still requires approval from the Texas Senate and the FDA before it becomes law.
Several other states, including Maine, Vermont, New Mexico, and New Hampshire, have attempted to pass similar legislation. All of these states’ bills, however, still require approval from the FDA.
Representative James Talarico (D-Round Rock), the author of HB 25, spoke with other lawmakers at a press conference, highlighting that Texans pay twice as much for medication as compared to Canadian citizens.
“We can help ensure that Texans can afford the prescription drugs they need for themselves and for their families,” said Talarico, according to CBS News. “This bill is about saving lives.”
Steve Rodriguez, a pharmacist at Dougherty’s Pharmacy, told CBS News that the bill presents potential as well as risk factors.
“For me as a pharmacist, whenever we order medications, the first thing we have to think about is safety. Is this drug safe? Where did it come from?” Rodriguez said, according to CBS News. “We have a track and trace. It’s a pedigree. We know where that drug comes from.”
Representative Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian) said that this bill does account for the safety of citizens, noting that most ingredients for drugs are already imported.
“The overwhelming majority, close to 80 percent of [pharmaceutical ingredients], are already imported,” said Harrison, according to CBS News.
Talarico issued a tweet on April 12 arguing that the status quo when it comes to obtaining medicine is “dangerously unsafe.”
“As we speak, Texans are choosing between their medications and their rent; their medications and their groceries. And many of them are choosing to go without their medications,” Talarico said in a tweet.
If approved, HB 25 would go into effect in September 2023.
