Washington (AFP)

The Trump administration announced Wednesday a plan to allow Americans to have legal access to drugs in Canada, where they are cheaper than the United States, a project denounced as "dangerous" by the pharmaceutical industry .

Americans pay an average of $ 1,200 per year for prescription drugs, according to the OECD (the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), more than any other nationality.

The price of insulin, needed to treat diabetes, has more than tripled in a decade, forcing many uninsured patients to ration their doses, smuggling them from Mexico or Canada, or choosing between treatment or payment of bills.

"Americans deserve protection from high drug prices, and they deserve a health system that provides affordable, patient-centered care," said Alex Azar, the Minister of Health.

"Lowering the price of drugs for many Americans - including our dear elders," tweeted the US president Wednesday to support this plan. Donald Trump has repeatedly insurgent against the high price of drugs in his country, and supports a Senate bill that would cap the costs.

- Pilot projects -

While health insurance promises to be one of the key issues in the 2020 presidential campaign, Democratic nominee Bernie Sanders joined a group of US diabetics who had bought insulin in Canada, where it costs ten times less. He then denounced the "greed" of the pharmaceutical industry.

The plan proposed by the US Department and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides two pathways.

The first would be to propose a rule that would authorize pilot projects developed by states, wholesalers and pharmacists to import certain drugs from Canada, even if they would be limited to certain categories.

The second is for the FDA to work with manufacturers looking to import versions of drugs they sell abroad to the United States, "potentially allowing them to offer a lower price than that required by their current distribution contracts. ".

These measures could include insulin as well as drugs for rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease and cancer, according to a statement.

No date for the implementation of this plan has been provided.

- "Protected Monopolies" -

The project will certainly face legal challenges from the pharmaceutical industry in the United States.

The powerful US Pharmaceutical Industries Group (PhRMA) immediately signaled its opposition to the plan, which it said would put the population at risk.

"The government's import scheme is far too dangerous for American patients," said Stephen Ubl, the head of the lobby. "The authorities have often warned that import plans could worsen the opiate crisis and jeopardize public security."

Instead, the government should focus on policies aimed at lowering the portion not covered by health insurance and thus paid by patients.

Pharmaceutical companies say that high prices are a consequence of the costs of innovation, but a 2016 study by Harvard Medical School blamed the US patent system, which gives manufacturers "government-protected monopolies" through the exclusivity that has lasted for decades.

The study also noted that unlike almost all other developed countries, the US system allowed manufacturers to set their own prices rather than having to negotiate with a national health insurance system.

© 2019 AFP