Trump wants to tariff Canadian-made drugs. Experts warn U.S. patients could pay the price – CBC

Antidepressants, antibiotics among Canadian manufactured drugs that end up in the U.S. market

Mar 31, 2025

Prescription drugs have been exempt from tariffs in the past. But Donald Trump looks poised to change that as early as April 2. That could result in shortages for critical drugs for Americans, warn experts.

Bupropion, used to treat major depressive disorder; ibalizumab, for patients with multi-drug-resistant HIV; and sotalol, to treat a life-threatening heart rhythm problem: those are just some of the drugs mostly manufactured in Canada and sent to the U.S. that might be impacted by the tariffs.

A research letter published in JAMA Monday looking into the potential impact on tariffs on Canadian pharmaceuticals identified hundreds of drugs made in Canada for the U.S. market. Dozens of those drugs are only, or predominantly, manufactured in Canada, say the authors.

“These drugs are vital to Americans, but they’re also importantly shipped from Canada. And so these tariffs might have implications in the future on the supply chain and how Americans get these specific drugs,” said Mina Tadrous, a professor at the University of Toronto and one of the letter’s authors.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/tariffs-pharmaceuticals-jama-1.7498502