Florida is suing the Food and Drug Administration for not moving to approve a plan by Republican Gov. Ron DeSandis to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada. The governor accused the FDA on Wednesday of “unlawfully concealing” and “unreasonably delaying” approval of Florida’s program, saying “we believe this violates federal law.” It is a lawsuit to ask a federal judge to order an end to the delay. “It’s hard to even meet people at the FDA, very dismissive, very arrogant about how they’ve handled these things,” DeSantis said at a press conference at a pharmaceutical distribution warehouse in Lakeland, Florida. “But our view is that we have to keep pushing forward. After 630 days, we’re still sitting here waiting for an answer and so it’s our view that we’ve waited long enough. Today we’re taking action.” DeSantis’ office estimates that importing cheaper drugs from Canada could save Florida government up to $150 million a year. Imported drugs will include treatments for HIV/AIDS, diabetes and asthma. The plan would mostly save money for Florida’s Medicaid program and reduce the amount the state pays for drugs it provides to people in correctional facilities. Medicaid covers health care costs for low-income people, pregnancy and childbirth, and people with disabilities. Florida was the first state under former President Donald Trump to move to take advantage of a 2003 federal law that allows states to approve drug importation plans. Trump asked the Department of Health and Human Services to set safety rules for the programs, and then the Florida Legislature passed an import bill in 2019. From there, state officials worked with the Trump administration for more than a year to create their plan. They submitted it to the federal government for approval shortly after Trump lost re-election. Other states are also working on plans such as Vermont, New Mexico, Colorado, Maine and New Hampshire. Biden promised during the 2020 campaign that he would allow drug imports as part of a broader plan to lower prescription costs, and signed an executive order in July 2021 that would allow it. DeSantis said that when officials in Florida saw the executive order, they thought they would get the green light soon. But Florida’s plan remains deadlocked. “This has been a frustrating process from the macro to the micro,” said Simone Marstiller, secretary of the Florida Department of Health, speaking at a news conference in Lakeland. “My team and I have had so many meetings with the FDA it’s not even funny. But all we’ve gotten are word salad, bureaucracy, stonewalling, inflexibility and stall tactics.” The US pays many times more for prescription drugs than its northern neighbor Canada because Canada has a commission that negotiates drug prices by linking them to prices in similar countries. While the Canadian government funds more health care services than the U.S., many Canadians must purchase supplemental, private insurance to help pay for prescription drugs. However, prices are lower in Canada. The U.S. spent an average of $1,310 per person on prescription drugs in 2021, compared with $868 per person in Canada, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The FDA did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. Rejecting the proposal could backfire against Biden and allow Republicans to accuse the president of being politically motivated, even if his lawmakers cite security or other concerns about their decision. DeSantis hinted that he believed politics or the pharmaceutical lobby might be at play, though it’s not clear what’s behind the delay. Florida submitted a public information request to the FDA to find out what the internal chatter was about their plan, but has not heard back. “Are they putting politics ahead of patients? Are they putting the interests of Big Pharma ahead of the interests of average Floridians and taxpayers? That’s what we need to know,” DeSantis said. Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law on August 16, and it contains several provisions to save on drugs for the Medicare program — which mainly covers adults over 65. of drugs starting in 2026. Both Trump and de Sandys have torn their parties apart by pushing for prescription drug importation, which was originally supported by Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont. The idea of allowing cheaper drugs to be imported is popular with voters, with 78% of respondents to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll saying they supported it. But the pharmaceutical industry has a strong interest in Washington and state capitols with political action committees that donate to politicians of both parties. Drug industry groups oppose the importation, which they say could lead to unsafe drugs reaching the US. Some outside experts were also skeptical that the import plans would save consumers money, and Canadian officials have expressed concerns that the import would cause shortages there. Last year Sanders told Insider that he believed the Biden administration should approve Florida’s plan and that it should be implemented nationwide. “I think we should do it for the whole country,” he said. “If we can develop a safety protocol – which we absolutely can – then of course we should go ahead with reintroduction.”
title: “Florida Sues Fda Over Slow Approval Of Canadian Drug Imports Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-14” author: “Miles Dodson”
Florida is suing the Food and Drug Administration for not moving to approve a plan by Republican Gov. Ron DeSandis to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada. The governor accused the FDA on Wednesday of “unlawfully concealing” and “unreasonably delaying” approval of Florida’s program, saying “we believe this violates federal law.” It is a lawsuit to ask a federal judge to order an end to the delay. “It’s hard to even meet people at the FDA, very dismissive, very arrogant about how they’ve handled these things,” DeSantis said at a press conference at a pharmaceutical distribution warehouse in Lakeland, Florida. “But our view is that we have to keep pushing forward. After 630 days, we’re still sitting here waiting for an answer and so it’s our view that we’ve waited long enough. Today we’re taking action.” DeSantis’ office estimates that importing cheaper drugs from Canada could save Florida government up to $150 million a year. Imported drugs will include treatments for HIV/AIDS, diabetes and asthma. The plan would mostly save money for Florida’s Medicaid program and reduce the amount the state pays for drugs it provides to people in correctional facilities. Medicaid covers health care costs for low-income people, pregnancy and childbirth, and people with disabilities. Florida was the first state under former President Donald Trump to move to take advantage of a 2003 federal law that allows states to approve drug importation plans. Trump asked the Department of Health and Human Services to set safety rules for the programs, and then the Florida Legislature passed an import bill in 2019. From there, state officials worked with the Trump administration for more than a year to create their plan. They submitted it to the federal government for approval shortly after Trump lost re-election. Other states are also working on plans such as Vermont, New Mexico, Colorado, Maine and New Hampshire. Biden promised during the 2020 campaign that he would allow drug imports as part of a broader plan to lower prescription costs, and signed an executive order in July 2021 that would allow it. DeSantis said that when officials in Florida saw the executive order, they thought they would get the green light soon. But Florida’s plan remains deadlocked. “This has been a frustrating process from the macro to the micro,” said Simone Marstiller, secretary of the Florida Department of Health, speaking at a news conference in Lakeland. “My team and I have had so many meetings with the FDA it’s not even funny. But all we’ve gotten are word salad, bureaucracy, stonewalling, inflexibility and stall tactics.” The US pays many times more for prescription drugs than its northern neighbor Canada because Canada has a commission that negotiates drug prices by linking them to prices in similar countries. While the Canadian government funds more health care services than the U.S., many Canadians must purchase supplemental, private insurance to help pay for prescription drugs. However, prices are lower in Canada. The U.S. spent an average of $1,310 per person on prescription drugs in 2021, compared with $868 per person in Canada, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The FDA did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. Rejecting the proposal could backfire against Biden and allow Republicans to accuse the president of being politically motivated, even if his lawmakers cite security or other concerns about their decision. DeSantis hinted that he believed politics or the pharmaceutical lobby might be at play, though it’s not clear what’s behind the delay. Florida submitted a public information request to the FDA to find out what the internal chatter was about their plan, but has not heard back. “Are they putting politics ahead of patients? Are they putting the interests of Big Pharma ahead of the interests of average Floridians and taxpayers? That’s what we need to know,” DeSantis said. Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law on August 16, and it contains several provisions to save on drugs for the Medicare program — which mainly covers adults over 65. of drugs starting in 2026. Both Trump and de Sandys have torn their parties apart by pushing for prescription drug importation, which was originally supported by Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont. The idea of allowing cheaper drugs to be imported is popular with voters, with 78% of respondents to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll saying they supported it. But the pharmaceutical industry has a strong interest in Washington and state capitols with political action committees that donate to politicians of both parties. Drug industry groups oppose the importation, which they say could lead to unsafe drugs reaching the US. Some outside experts were also skeptical that the import plans would save consumers money, and Canadian officials have expressed concerns that the import would cause shortages there. Last year Sanders told Insider that he believed the Biden administration should approve Florida’s plan and that it should be implemented nationwide. “I think we should do it for the whole country,” he said. “If we can develop a safety protocol – which we absolutely can – then of course we should go ahead with reintroduction.”
title: “Florida Sues Fda Over Slow Approval Of Canadian Drug Imports Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-15” author: “John Lynch”
Florida is suing the Food and Drug Administration for not moving to approve a plan by Republican Gov. Ron DeSandis to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada. The governor accused the FDA on Wednesday of “unlawfully concealing” and “unreasonably delaying” approval of Florida’s program, saying “we believe this violates federal law.” It is a lawsuit to ask a federal judge to order an end to the delay. “It’s hard to even meet people at the FDA, very dismissive, very arrogant about how they’ve handled these things,” DeSantis said at a press conference at a pharmaceutical distribution warehouse in Lakeland, Florida. “But our view is that we have to keep pushing forward. After 630 days, we’re still sitting here waiting for an answer and so it’s our view that we’ve waited long enough. Today we’re taking action.” DeSantis’ office estimates that importing cheaper drugs from Canada could save Florida government up to $150 million a year. Imported drugs will include treatments for HIV/AIDS, diabetes and asthma. The plan would mostly save money for Florida’s Medicaid program and reduce the amount the state pays for drugs it provides to people in correctional facilities. Medicaid covers health care costs for low-income people, pregnancy and childbirth, and people with disabilities. Florida was the first state under former President Donald Trump to move to take advantage of a 2003 federal law that allows states to approve drug importation plans. Trump asked the Department of Health and Human Services to set safety rules for the programs, and then the Florida Legislature passed an import bill in 2019. From there, state officials worked with the Trump administration for more than a year to create their plan. They submitted it to the federal government for approval shortly after Trump lost re-election. Other states are also working on plans such as Vermont, New Mexico, Colorado, Maine and New Hampshire. Biden promised during the 2020 campaign that he would allow drug imports as part of a broader plan to lower prescription costs, and signed an executive order in July 2021 that would allow it. DeSantis said that when officials in Florida saw the executive order, they thought they would get the green light soon. But Florida’s plan remains deadlocked. “This has been a frustrating process from the macro to the micro,” said Simone Marstiller, secretary of the Florida Department of Health, speaking at a news conference in Lakeland. “My team and I have had so many meetings with the FDA it’s not even funny. But all we’ve gotten are word salad, bureaucracy, stonewalling, inflexibility and stall tactics.” The US pays many times more for prescription drugs than its northern neighbor Canada because Canada has a commission that negotiates drug prices by linking them to prices in similar countries. While the Canadian government funds more health care services than the U.S., many Canadians must purchase supplemental, private insurance to help pay for prescription drugs. However, prices are lower in Canada. The U.S. spent an average of $1,310 per person on prescription drugs in 2021, compared with $868 per person in Canada, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The FDA did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. Rejecting the proposal could backfire against Biden and allow Republicans to accuse the president of being politically motivated, even if his lawmakers cite security or other concerns about their decision. DeSantis hinted that he believed politics or the pharmaceutical lobby might be at play, though it’s not clear what’s behind the delay. Florida submitted a public information request to the FDA to find out what the internal chatter was about their plan, but has not heard back. “Are they putting politics ahead of patients? Are they putting the interests of Big Pharma ahead of the interests of average Floridians and taxpayers? That’s what we need to know,” DeSantis said. Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law on August 16, and it contains several provisions to save on drugs for the Medicare program — which mainly covers adults over 65. of drugs starting in 2026. Both Trump and de Sandys have torn their parties apart by pushing for prescription drug importation, which was originally supported by Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont. The idea of allowing cheaper drugs to be imported is popular with voters, with 78% of respondents to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll saying they supported it. But the pharmaceutical industry has a strong interest in Washington and state capitols with political action committees that donate to politicians of both parties. Drug industry groups oppose the importation, which they say could lead to unsafe drugs reaching the US. Some outside experts were also skeptical that the import plans would save consumers money, and Canadian officials have expressed concerns that the import would cause shortages there. Last year Sanders told Insider that he believed the Biden administration should approve Florida’s plan and that it should be implemented nationwide. “I think we should do it for the whole country,” he said. “If we can develop a safety protocol – which we absolutely can – then of course we should go ahead with reintroduction.”
title: “Florida Sues Fda Over Slow Approval Of Canadian Drug Imports Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-10” author: “Albert West”
Florida is suing the Food and Drug Administration for not moving to approve a plan by Republican Gov. Ron DeSandis to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada. The governor accused the FDA on Wednesday of “unlawfully concealing” and “unreasonably delaying” approval of Florida’s program, saying “we believe this violates federal law.” It is a lawsuit to ask a federal judge to order an end to the delay. “It’s hard to even meet people at the FDA, very dismissive, very arrogant about how they’ve handled these things,” DeSantis said at a press conference at a pharmaceutical distribution warehouse in Lakeland, Florida. “But our view is that we have to keep pushing forward. After 630 days, we’re still sitting here waiting for an answer and so it’s our view that we’ve waited long enough. Today we’re taking action.” DeSantis’ office estimates that importing cheaper drugs from Canada could save Florida government up to $150 million a year. Imported drugs will include treatments for HIV/AIDS, diabetes and asthma. The plan would mostly save money for Florida’s Medicaid program and reduce the amount the state pays for drugs it provides to people in correctional facilities. Medicaid covers health care costs for low-income people, pregnancy and childbirth, and people with disabilities. Florida was the first state under former President Donald Trump to move to take advantage of a 2003 federal law that allows states to approve drug importation plans. Trump asked the Department of Health and Human Services to set safety rules for the programs, and then the Florida Legislature passed an import bill in 2019. From there, state officials worked with the Trump administration for more than a year to create their plan. They submitted it to the federal government for approval shortly after Trump lost re-election. Other states are also working on plans such as Vermont, New Mexico, Colorado, Maine and New Hampshire. Biden promised during the 2020 campaign that he would allow drug imports as part of a broader plan to lower prescription costs, and signed an executive order in July 2021 that would allow it. DeSantis said that when officials in Florida saw the executive order, they thought they would get the green light soon. But Florida’s plan remains deadlocked. “This has been a frustrating process from the macro to the micro,” said Simone Marstiller, secretary of the Florida Department of Health, speaking at a news conference in Lakeland. “My team and I have had so many meetings with the FDA it’s not even funny. But all we’ve gotten are word salad, bureaucracy, stonewalling, inflexibility and stall tactics.” The US pays many times more for prescription drugs than its northern neighbor Canada because Canada has a commission that negotiates drug prices by linking them to prices in similar countries. While the Canadian government funds more health care services than the U.S., many Canadians must purchase supplemental, private insurance to help pay for prescription drugs. However, prices are lower in Canada. The U.S. spent an average of $1,310 per person on prescription drugs in 2021, compared with $868 per person in Canada, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The FDA did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. Rejecting the proposal could backfire against Biden and allow Republicans to accuse the president of being politically motivated, even if his lawmakers cite security or other concerns about their decision. DeSantis hinted that he believed politics or the pharmaceutical lobby might be at play, though it’s not clear what’s behind the delay. Florida submitted a public information request to the FDA to find out what the internal chatter was about their plan, but has not heard back. “Are they putting politics ahead of patients? Are they putting the interests of Big Pharma ahead of the interests of average Floridians and taxpayers? That’s what we need to know,” DeSantis said. Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law on August 16, and it contains several provisions to save on drugs for the Medicare program — which mainly covers adults over 65. of drugs starting in 2026. Both Trump and de Sandys have torn their parties apart by pushing for prescription drug importation, which was originally supported by Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont. The idea of allowing cheaper drugs to be imported is popular with voters, with 78% of respondents to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll saying they supported it. But the pharmaceutical industry has a strong interest in Washington and state capitols with political action committees that donate to politicians of both parties. Drug industry groups oppose the importation, which they say could lead to unsafe drugs reaching the US. Some outside experts were also skeptical that the import plans would save consumers money, and Canadian officials have expressed concerns that the import would cause shortages there. Last year Sanders told Insider that he believed the Biden administration should approve Florida’s plan and that it should be implemented nationwide. “I think we should do it for the whole country,” he said. “If we can develop a safety protocol – which we absolutely can – then of course we should go ahead with reintroduction.”
