To the editor:

Americans pay almost three times more for prescription drugs than people in other high-income countries. While other nations set upper price limits for prescription drugs, the U.S. government does not regulate them. Given the high cost of these pharmaceuticals in this country, it’s hardly surprising that 55% of respondents in a recent poll stated they are “very worried” or “somewhat worried” about the cost of prescription drugs.

About 2 million Americans — including many seniors — currently buy prescription drugs from online pharmacies in other countries, primarily Canada and Mexico. The savings can be substantial. A 75-year-old Maryland woman paid $250 for a three-month supply of eye drops from a Canadian pharmacy. Similar drops for three months in this country cost $2,220.

Prescription drug savings via out-of-the-country pharmacies may be ending. The Trump Administration recently closed a “loophole” that permitted low-cost prescription drugs to enter this country duty-free. Shipments under $800 are now subject to fees ranging from 10 to 50% of the cost of an item(s).

Are drugs purchased out of the U.S. safe? Stephen Salant, an economics professor at the University of Michigan, states the “FDA” and “big Pharma” — the regulator and the regulated — “both benefit from the same lie: that imports of prescription drugs from Canada, the UK and the European Union pose a risk to American consumers.”

Consumer Reports notes that about 40% of the generic drugs Americans take daily are made outside the U.S., mostly in India and China. Some ingredients for drugs manufactured in this country come from overseas.

George J. Bryjak

Bloomingdale