Editor’s Note: El Paso Matters partners with Gigafact to produce “fact briefs” that examine claims about issues shaping our community.
Yes.
United States citizens who purchase over-the-counter or prescription medications from outside of the country are allowed to bring them into the U.S. if they’re approved for use by the Federal Drug Administration.
However, U.S. citizens may only bring up to a 90-day dosage, according to U.S Customs and Border Protection.
Prescription medications require a prescription from U.S. licensed physicians and must be in their original, sealed containers, according to the FDA’s Regulatory Procedures Manual. The FDA also allows medications for personal use if a person provides evidence it’s for the continuation of a treatment begun in a foreign country.
Medications in commercial or promotional quantities are not allowed, and neither are those on the DEA’s controlled substance list, such as oxycontin, the FDA states.
The FDA also states CBP personnel will consider whether to allow medications to be brought into the country on a “case-by-case” basis.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection Traveling with Medication
- U.S. Federal Drug Administration Regulatory Procedures Manual
- USDA Personal Importation Guidelines
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