The federal Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a plan that will allow the state to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada, a decision that had been in the works for about five years.
The federal agency approved the importation program for two years, citing Florida’s ability to demonstrate that it “will significantly reduce the cost of covered products to the American consumer without posing additional risk to the public’s health and safety.”
However, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, slammed the approval on Friday, saying it is “considering all options for preventing this policy from harming patients.”
DeSantis and then-Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, made the issue of drug importation a priority in 2019, and lawmakers agreed. The state submitted a proposal to the FDA in November 2020.
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The plan is to make imported drugs available through government programs such as Medicaid, the prison system, and Florida Department of Children and Families facilities.
The approval on Friday was preceded by legal wrangling, including the state filing two lawsuits against the FDA.
“They have set up a number of hoops,” state Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Jason Weida told the House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee last month. “We have jumped through them all.”
Before importation can begin, Weida’s agency must meet certain conditions, such as submitting additional “drug-specific information” for FDA approval, according to a news release posted on the FDA website on Friday.
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