Florida becomes first in the nation to have Canadian Prescription Drug Importation Program approved by FDA

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its Canadian Prescription Drug Importation Program on Friday.

This is the first step on a pathway toward Florida facilitating importation of certain prescription drugs from Canada, according to the FDA.

The approval will save Florida up to $180 million in the first year, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

“The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) submitted this first-of-its-kind plan to safely import cheaper drugs from Canada to the FDA nearly 37 months ago, and after filing a lawsuit against the FDA due to delays, has finally received approval,” the press release stated.

“After years of federal bureaucrats dragging their feet, Florida will now be able to import low-cost, life-saving prescription drugs,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

“It’s about time that the FDA put patients over politics and the interests of Floridians over Big Pharma,” the governor continued.

Attorney General Ashley Moody called the move “another win against Biden and his heavy-handed bureaucrats.”

“Florida has won many legal battles against the Biden administration, and I am pleased they finally decided to back down and stop standing between Florida and lower prescription drug prices,” Moody said.

AHCA Secretary Jason Weida said it took “three long years of waiting for FDA approval” but they are “excited to finally have the opportunity to see this vision come to fruition and provide Floridians access to safe and affordable prescription drugs.”

The governor signed the bill into law in 2019. DeSantis and his administration “have applied pressure to the Biden administration — including suing the FDA — to get approval of this critical drug importation program,” according to the press release.

The state will begin by providing prescription drugs in a small number of drug classes which will include maintenance medications to help individuals who have chronic health conditions such as HIV/AIDS, mental illness, prostate cancer, and urea cycle disorder.

These drugs will be for individuals who are under the care of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD), Department of Children and Families (DCF), Department of Corrections (FDC), and Department of Health (DOH).

The program will then expand to include providing imported prescription drugs for Medicaid members across the state.