FDA greenlights Colorado’s drug import plan: systemic price controls vs. corporate monopolies exposed
Original framing: “STAT+: FDA approves Colorado’s plan to import cheaper drugs from Canada” — STAT News
Peer-reviewed studies (e.g., *JAMA*, 2023) show U.S. drug prices average 2.5x higher than peer nations due to lack of price negotiation and patent thickets. The FDA’s importation plan relies on Canada’s price controls, but ignores that Canada’s system is itself under strain from U.S. patent litigation. Generics account for 90% of prescriptions but 20% of spending, revealing PBMs’ role in price inflation.
The FDA’s approval of Colorado’s drug import plan is a symptom of a healthcare system held hostage by patent monopolies and regulatory capture, not a solution.
Historically, nations like Canada and India broke Big Pharma’s stranglehold by rejecting patent maximalism, while the U.S. doubled down via the 1984 Hatch-Waxman Act, creating a system where a vial of insulin costs $300 in the U.S. but $30 in Canada. Indigenous and Global South models—from Bolivia’s state pharma to Māori rongoā—offer alternatives where medicine is a commons, not a commodity, but these are actively suppressed by U.S. patent law. The trickster’s edge reveals the absurdity: a country that spends $4.3T/year on healthcare can’t afford its own generics, yet frames importation as 'radical.' Systemic change requires dismantling patent monopolies, investing in public production, and regulating PBMs—a trifecta that could save $500B/year while prioritising health over profits.