The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday approved a plan for Florida to import cheaper prescription drugs from the Canadian Prescription Drug Importation Program.

According to a press release, the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) submitted the plan, which will save Florida up to $180 million in the first year, to the FDA nearly 37 months ago.

“After years of federal bureaucrats dragging their feet, Florida will now be able to import low-cost, life-saving prescription drugs,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis in the press release. “It’s about time that the FDA put patients over politics and the interests of Floridians over Big Pharma.”

The DeSantis administration has applied pressure to the Biden administration since 2020 — which included suing the FDA — to get approval of this drug importation program.

“Another win against Biden and his heavy-handed bureaucrats,” said Attorney General Ashley Moody in the press release. “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. Great to work with Governor DeSantis, who showed strong leadership in this important fight.”

According to the release, in its Section 804 Importation Program (SIP) proposal, the state outlined its processes for ensuring these goals by providing the following:

• Detailed information on how Florida will conduct visual inspections and laboratory testing to detect any potential counterfeit drugs and preserve the integrity of the U.S. prescription drug supply.
• A cost analysis demonstrating how importing prescription drugs from Canada will result in savings of up to $183 million per year once the program is fully implemented.
• An explanation of how the State will ensure a secure prescription drug supply chain that is compliant with current federal regulations such as the Drug Supply Chain Security Act and the Pure Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
• A return plan that will protect the safety of Floridians in the event that imported prescription drugs are recalled.

The release stated, “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.”