Florida has become the first state in the country to gain Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to import cheaper prescription medications from Canada under a program first proposed by the federal Department of Health and Human in 2019.
The initiative, named the Canadian Prescription Drug Importation Program, plans to import more affordable prescription drugs made in Canada. Prescription drugs manufactured in Canada and other countries with state-run health services can be up to five times cheaper than drugs made in the U.S. because the government can directly negotiate prices for individual drugs.
The Florida governor’s office remarked that this new initiative will save the state up to $180 million in its first year. Florida first authorized state legislation enabling drug imports from Canada in June of 2019, but later sued the FDA in 2022 for stalling approval.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, more than five other states also have pending requests with the FDA regarding the implementation of similar drug import standards.
Following the announcement, Canadian officials released statements expressing hesitance regarding the new U.S. FDA policy, but assured citizens that the country’s drug supply would not be threatened. “Canada has strong regulations in place to protect supply. Canadians can be confident that our government will continue to take all necessary measures to protect the drug supply in Canada,” Health Minister Mark Holland said in a statement.
The pharmaceutical industry has also given the cost-cutting plan pushback, with one large lobbyist even calling the FDA’s approval “reckless” — because, of course, it potentially threatens their bottom line.
According to CNBC, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, “the industry’s biggest lobbying group,” said that it would be considering “all options for preventing this policy from harming patients,” ironically adding, “Politicians need to stop getting between Americans and their health care.” The lobbying group filed a lawsuit against the FDA in early 2020 when the plan to work on importing drugs from Canada was first introduced, but the suit was later dismissed.
