Prescription drug prices are rapidly increasing, leading many Americans to obtain prescription drugs from outside of the United States, according to Kaiser Health News.
Here are five key points:
1. In November 2016, KHN conducted a poll finding 8 percent of respondents said either they or someone in their household imported a drug at some point.
2. This figure equates to nearly 19 million U.S. adults obtaining prescriptions from outside the nation's borders.
3. Americans can more readily obtain prescription drugs from other countries through the internet. In 2014, the FDA found many packages of medicines allegedly from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom had drugs from other countries like China, Laos and India.
4. While it is illegal to import drugs into the United States for personal use, officials find it difficult to enforce the law due to challenges monitoring packages and small suitcases.
5. The FDA implemented a rule last year that gave government border inspectors expanded authority to dismantle drugs imported for personal use at point of entry.