MIAMI.- The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided to authorize Florida to import drugs at much cheaper prices from Canada, after several years of demands from the Ron DeSantis government.
The approval, published by The New York Times, constitutes a change in tactics by President Joe Biden’s administration, aimed at controlling high drug prices and is the result of pressure exerted by Florida, which in August 2022 sued the FDA for delaying such approval for more than two years.
Under Florida’s program, in the first phase, prescription drugs would be imported to treat ailments such as HIV/AIDS, diabetes, hepatitis C and mental illness. The program would also help Medicaid beneficiaries and patients in facilities managed by the Florida Department of Children and Families, as well as disabled people served by the Florida Department of Health.
In 2019, Florida said it was logistically ready to import, having the specialized companies, the distributor, the list of prescribed drugs, their anticipated costs and the corresponding labeling. To that end, it built a more than 98,000-square-foot refrigerated facility in Lakeland to distribute the drugs.
According to estimates, Florida could save up to $150 million in the first year of operation of the drug importation program.
The pharmaceutical industry’s main lobbying organization, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), file a lawsuit to prevent Florida’s plan from coming into force, as it has done on other occasions, warned The New York Times, despite the fact that more than two decades ago the federal Congress approved a law that allows import of medicines.
The FDA said it would watch to see whether the Sunshine State follows safety rules and reports any side effects from imported drugs in a timely manner. Most importantly, whether the program results in significant savings for Florida consumers. Approval to import has a duration of two years, starting from the date of the first shipment of drugs.
Other states such as Colorado, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Texas, Vermont and Wisconsin are also seeking permission from the FDA to import.
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