Contributor ⭐⭐

Canadian Pharmacies will not be allowed to ship medications to United States

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has enacted a new policy governing international mail shipments, with key requirements scheduled to take effect on October 22, 2026. We have just learned that, under the planned implementation by CBP and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), virtually all prescription-medication parcels will be prohibited from entering the United States beginning on that date.

What’s Changing

Entry will be prohibited if the medication being imported is commercially available in the United States — even when it costs significantly more — or if the supplying company specifically markets to Americans.

These restrictions will apply to pharmaceutical parcels sent by pharmacies anywhere outside the United States. Taken together, they are expected to effectively close the personal-importation pathway that millions of Americans have relied upon for more than 25 years to obtain safe and affordable medications.

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p948512o

Contributor ⭐

Trump’s personal indignation of Canada should not affect the saving opportunities afforded to us by purchasing Rx drugs from across the border. In the case of Eliquis there is a significant savings by being prescribed a generic alternative that is not available in the USA. Paying 343.00 for a 90 day supply is a huge savings when the cost here is 643.00 for a 30day supply. ( My insurance does not cover ).

Because I have part D insurance I do not qualify for any discount offered by the manufacturer of Eliquis.

A nations health should be among the forefront of any Presidential policy. Putting a restriction on medications is in itself a betrayal of personal decency

“ They talk of a man betraying his country, his friends, his sweetheart. There must be a moral bond first. All a man can betray is his conscience. “ - Joseph Conrad. Under Western Eyes (1911)

SummerOnTheWay1

You are so welcome Jerry @jerrynmn1 . Take care, Nicole!

➡️[*** JERRY POSTED - I do the same with my kids. Thank you for your kind words. I hope things fall into place for all of us in so many ways or we are doomed as a society. Jerry

SummerOnTheWay1

@jerrynmn1 , that is WHY I tell my only child in her 30's to take CARE of herself NOW. Lol, of course she "rolls" her eyes. 😅 But I am so glad I did when I was her age. Now I am dealing with just High Blood Pressure & Chlolestral meds. Working on getting off those at age 68. But it is SO HARD doing what I "need" to do. Lol, I see my Medicare Doctor in February & DREADING the "yearly" Blood Test. Anyway, I hope things fall in place for you MOVING FORWARD. 🤞

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jerrynmn1Author

Contributor ⭐⭐

I do the same with my kids. Thank you for your kind words. I hope things fall into place for all of us in so many ways or we are doomed as a society. Jerry

SummerOnTheWay1

In my "humble" opinion we should be able to get ALL our meds at a "reasonable" price within the US. Why should we have to "order" from OTHER countries? I am DREADING what is ahead for 2027. 😱 Just found out YESTERDAY my Wellcare Premium for my Standalone Part D will increase from ZERO to $5.30. Lol, will find out I guess October 15th what my meds will cost. My three was ZERO for this year 2026 & last year 2025.

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jerrynmn1Author

Contributor ⭐⭐

I agree with you. The only reason we pay so much more for medications in the United States is because big pharmaceutical companies have lobbyists that contribute heavily to politicians campaigns. In Canada the government regulates the price of medications which is why the same medications cost so much less there.

Big pharma companies have an insatiable appetite for outrageous profits. In the next year I believe we will see even larger increases in health insurance premiums and the costs of medications which.

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RobertaK589442

Contributor ⭐⭐

Yeah right-- let’s give the pharmaceutical companies even more power while their CEO’s get upwards of 20 million dollars each year. I used to get insulin for my cat from Canada for $150/vial which was half the price charged in the U.S. Luckily, I live only an hour’s drive from Mexico where it cost me only $50/vial.I might have to start going there again for a new prescription I got which is outrageously priced.

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jerrynmn1Author

Contributor ⭐⭐

The proposed FDA ban on purchasing medications from Canadian and other Foreign Pharmacies has the “footprints “ of Big Pharma lobbyists behind it in pulling the puppet strings of the FDA. I buy a brand name blood thinner from Canada that costs me $200 for a 90 day supply while the same blood thinner costs over $600 here in the USA. The Canadian pharmacy makes a nice profit at their lower prices but it shows us how huge the profits are for the big pharma companies in America. These medications from both Countries come in the exact same manufacturer packaging and are quality controlled certify by the Canadian Health Ministry for their ingredients. Jerry

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MonikaH749704

Contributor ⭐

I totally agree with you. Write to your representatives.

SummerOnTheWay1

[Wednesday 9/23/26 10:47am ET]

@gofishinid , NO pressure to respond but I was "wondering" WHY your meds are cheaper outside of the US? You would think we should be able to get the SAME price and "maybe" CHEAPER. Grateful at age 68, my meds are costing me ZERO at the moment. And luv being able to "refill" them at KROGER where I get my groceries. A really nice set of people. 👍 DREADING 2027 with all the "predicted" changes. 😱 STAY WELL "fellow" Seniors. Take care, Nicole!

➡️[*** GO POSTED - It’s going to be interesting to see if the “restrictions” are enforced as listed. I get a generic medication through Canada that’s manufactured in India. The dosage I get (20mg) is not available in the U.S., but a lower dosage (2.5mg) is. If I have to purchase this low cost, I’d have to take 8 pills/day and the cost would be ~$150/month vs what I pay now ($16/month). I’m not going to get political, but the “facts” speak for themselves.

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gofishinid

Contributor ⭐

Well, Summer is past and Autumn is on the horizon. My medication is Rivaroxaban, the generic for Xarelto. I need a dosage of 20mg/day. The licensed manufacturer (Janssen Pharmaceuticals) produces the generic developed by Bayer, but Janssen only sells a 2.5mg tab in the U.S; I would need 8 tabs/day. I get the 20mg from Canadian Prescription Drugstore and it is manufactured in India (Taro Pharma). I’m a senior (78) as well and fortunately I only have 2 prescription meds to take. Hope this answers your question, but you can check drug prices online, though it looks like the “current” US government is building a wall.

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gofishinid

Contributor ⭐

It’s going to be interesting to see if the “restrictions” are enforced as listed. I get a generic medication through Canada that’s manufactured in India. The dosage I get (20mg) is not available in the U.S., but a lower dosage (2.5mg) is. If I have to purchase this low cost, I’d have to take 8 pills/day and the cost would be ~$150/month vs what I pay now ($16/month). I’m not going to get political, but the “facts” speak for themselves.

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TRL1111

Community Champion ⭐

Your user name makes me think you’re in Idaho. I looked at current Part D plans in Boise and there’s a Wellcare Value Script with a premium of $9.60 a month. With that plan, you can get a 3-month supply (720 pills) of Rivaroxaban for $9.00 at CVS, Fred Meyer, Walgreens, or mail order.

It’s significantly more on other plans. Did you use the plan finder when you chose this plan? Maybe the other drug you take has a different pricing structure that would make the Wellcare Value Script not the best choice?

Or maybe you’re not in Idaho? I will say, however, that I have the Wellcare Value Script in Texas, and the price of this drug is the same for me. My plan has a $0 premium.

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TRL1111

Community Champion ⭐

Thank you for the information. I went to your website and noticed this: “Genuine prescription drugs from licensed Canadian pharmacies may violate FDA import requirements, but historically many of these shipments nonetheless reached the Americans who ordered them.” So that’s the problem.

What it looks like to me is that it’s actually illegal to get prescriptions mailed to you from Canada, but there was never any paperwork with any such shipment because of the de minimis rule, so the only way to know what was in a package was for a government official to physically open it and look at it. Now that the de minimis rule is being revoked, those packages will have to have paperwork, and that paperwork will show that what’s in the package is illegal.

Is that what’s going on?

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jerrynmn1Author

Contributor ⭐⭐

Legitimate Canadian pharmacies have always included paperwork on top of the postal package and inside stating the specific medication being sent, that customer medically requires the medication to maintain their health,that the medication is being purchased at an affordable price that allows the customer to afford the medication,that the medication is approved by Health Canada as being manufactured under similar conditions as the FDA.The package also includes a copy of the prescription from the Dr. in the USA.

Postal authorities in the USA for decades have been allowing these shipments to be processed and sent to Americans. Now, The FDA , etc. is claiming these medications are unsafe yet the majority of medications sold in America are made in foreign countries.

If they now follow through on banning all Canadian pharmacy medications, then it is an evil, cruel, ingenious strategy by big pharma and their lobbyists to screw Americans, increase their obscene profits even more than they already do.

I am betting that they will ban the medications and with corrupt politicians, a crooked revolving door at the FDA of management from big pharma, this will sadly happen.

J

jerrynmn1Author

Contributor ⭐⭐

Theoretically it’s correct about the CBP/FDA semantics not specifically stating that all medications from foreign countries will be banned by the United States Post Office. However, this is likely being orchestrated by big pharma lobbyists and imo they are going to ban all medications from being bought from Canadian and other Countries by Americans. It’s all about big pharma, corrupt politicians, crooked revolving door administration of the FDA and CBP. They will block the sending of all medications and can, will get away with once again screwing the health care needs of the American people. Only a miracle, successful litigation or a last minute lobbying campaign against this upcoming law will stop them. I sadly think big pharma cannot be stopped.

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TRL1111

Community Champion ⭐

As I said before, the rule that site links to suspends the de minimis exemption. There’s nothing about a ban. It says, “We have learned that” but doesn’t say where they learned it.

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GabrielL811582

Contributor ⭐

The CBP Rule page does not say, “personally importing lower-cost prescription drugs that are available here will be banned,” but the new requirements for international shipping of prescription drugs into the U.S. give the CBP/FDA visibility that they did not have before. Prior to this change, CBP/FDA did not encounter most personal drug imports at international mail facilities, and consumers almost always received their medication orders. CBP/FDA will have to make policy decisions on whether to maximize enforcement against personal drug imports.

In the current policy landscape focussed on enforcement, the organization I lead, Prescription Justice, is very concerned Americans will be prevented from international mail order prescription drugs. Here’s our public statement: https://prescriptionjustice.org/resources/press-releases/prescription-justice-warns-new-cbp-rule-could-severely-curtail-americans-access-affordable-imported-prescription-drugs.

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