WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Friday cleared the way for Florida’s first-in-the-nation plan to import prescription drugs from Canada, a long-sought approach to access cheaper medications that follows decades of frustration with drug prices.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the plan into law in 2019, but it required federal review and approval by the FDA, which controls prescription drug imports.
Democratic President Joe Biden has backed such programs as a way to lower prices, signing an executive order in 2021 that directed the FDA to work with states on imports.
The White House called Friday’s action “a step in the right direction,” and encouraged more states to apply for importation.
“For too long, Americans have been forced to pay the highest prescription drug prices of any developed nation,” White House spokesperson Kelly Scully said in a statement.
But even as U.S. politicians applauded the plan, Canadian health providers said it was impractical given the supply challenges the country already faces.
“Historically, we’ve had some pretty devastating drug shortages in Canada,” Joelle Walker, spokesperson for the Canadian Pharmacists Association, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation “So the idea that they could import them from us is not really feasible.”
The policy represents a major shift in the U.S. after years of successful lobbying by the pharmaceutical industry, which said imports would expose U.S. patients to risks of counterfeit or adulterated drugs. The FDA also previously warned of the difficulties of assuring the safety of drugs originating from outside the U.S.
But the politics surrounding the issue have shifted, with both parties — including former President Donald Trump — doubling down on the import approach.
