The Trump administration on Wednesday said it is proposing a rule to allow states to import prescription drugs from Canada, advancing a plan announced in July that the president has said will bring cheaper prescription drugs to Americans.

Axar.az reports citing Reuters that importation of drugs from Canada to lower costs for U.S. consumers has been considered for years. Alex Azar, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), called the move “a historic step forward in efforts to bring down drug prices and out-of-pocket costs.”

Industry trade groups in both countries opposed the plan, saying it will not lower costs and could hurt Canada’s drug supplies. Groups representing pharmaceutical and biotech companies called the proposal a political gesture.

Azar said HHS would offer guidance to drugmakers that wish to voluntarily bring drugs they sell more cheaply in other countries into the United States for sale here.

The pathways for importation were announced in July, when Azar unveiled a “Safe Import Action Plan.”