HHS Reverses Course On Importation, Leaves Drug Industry Reeling

FDA sent shock waves through the pharmaceutical industry Thursday (July 19) by announcing it will study how to import drugs as a response to price spikes. The directive, coming despite FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb's previous criticism of importation, appears to have come from HHS Secretary Alex Azar, who in June also called importation a "gimmick" that wouldn't save money and proposed an alternative solution to price spikes. All three top drug industry trade groups swiftly criticized the plan. While they...