Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Healthcare

Florida Congressional Republicans Want FDA to Move on DeSantis’ Proposal to Import Canadian Prescription Drugs

In response to rising costs of prescription drugs in the United States, Gov. Ron DeSantis created the Canadian Prescription Drug Importation Program within the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) to facilitate the commercial importation of certain prescription drugs into Florida from approved Canadian suppliers. AHCA submitted its proposal to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval in November 2020; however, the state has not received any indication from the FDA that its application is being reviewed.

This week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., Neal Dunn, R-Fla., and Brian Mast, R-Fla., sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf requesting an update on Florida’s application and to expeditiously approve AHCA’s proposal.

The letter is below.

Dear Commissioner Califf:

We write regarding the continued delay in approving the State of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) Section 804 Importation Program (SIP) proposal for the Importation of Prescription Drugs from Canada. It has been more than 700 days since AHCA submitted their proposal, yet, the state has received no update or timeline from the FDA on the latest SIP proposal. As such, we ask for an update on Florida’s SIP application and that the FDA work with Governor DeSantis to expeditiously approve Florida’s proposal to safely import certain prescription drugs from Canada.

The Biden Administration, which wants to lower drug costs for Americans, especially its older citizens, continues to delay the approval of Florida’s proposal intending to do exactly that. Since AHCA first submitted its SIP proposal in November 2020, AHCA has worked diligently to answer the FDA’s questions and make suitable adjustments. Florida is the first state to submit a SIP proposal to the FDA and other states have followed suit. It is our understanding that the FDA was previously reviewing Florida’s SIP proposal and even submitted two requests for information, to which AHCA promptly responded. However, the FDA has failed to provide a substantive update since November 2021. AHCA officials have attempted to reach out to the FDA for months but have received no additional requests for information or a timeline since a meeting in May 2022. This situation is particularly frustrating as information has come to light that the FDA is actively working with other states on developing their SIP proposals while Florida’s program remains stalled.

If the Biden Administration is serious about lowering the cost of prescription drugs, then the FDA must do its job and follow through with the State of Florida’s drug importation plan. We look forward to your prompt response and action on this important matter.

Author

  • Florida Daily offers news, insights and analysis as we cover the most important issues in the state, from education, to business and politics.

    View all posts
Share Story Via Text, E-Mail, Facebook or Twitter

Follow Us on Social Media

Archives

Related Stories

Governor Ron DeSantis

The conservative Libertarian think tank CATO Institute, released its Report Card covering the governors in all 50 states.It examines issues from the state budgets,...

Governor Ron DeSantis

As Florida recovers from its second hurricane in the last four weeks, Democrats the state are criticizing Ron DeSantis’ management of recovery efforts. “He...

Florida News

PALMETTO, Fla.— On Monday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the award of $9.5 million to SeaPort Manatee to jumpstart its recovery and help repair impacted...

Florida News

As Floridians deal with the cleanup after Hurricane Helene and Milton, another storm may be on the horizon, and this one may be a political disturbance, not...

Political News

Florida’s U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging his immediate approval of the State of Florida’s...

Florida Government & Politics

As communities across Florida’s Gulf Coast recover from Hurricane Helene, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Rick Scott are meeting with...

Florida Government & Politics

With pools, lakes, rivers and coastline near every household, the risk of drowning is prevalent across the Sunshine State, and a leading cause of...

Economy News

At a recent roundtable on condo costs, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis heard pleas from condo owners on large assessments they are facing due to...