The Biden administration is urging a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit that could stand in the way of states like Florida allowing prescriptions drugs to be imported from Canada.
FILE - In this Saturday, May 8, 2021, file photo, Gov. Ron DeSantis, of Florida, watches the foursome matches during the Walker Cup golf tournament, in Juno Beach, Fla. DeSantis is pushing the Biden administration to approve a program he says would save tens of millions of dollars by importing drugs from Canada.
Florida and New Mexico are the only two states thus far to formally ask the U.S. government to allow federally approved drugs to be imported from Canada, arguing that doing so would save Americans millions of dollars. Other states are poised to follow, despite a lawsuit raising concerns over safety and costs that was filed by the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America, the trade group that represents U.S. drug producers.
During a Friday news conference, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Floridians could save as much as $150 million in drug costs in the program's first year. The governor’s office on Friday issued a statement asserting that the current government's legal filing “puts the Biden Administration on the record in support of the FDA rule.”
Some consumers have long crossed into Mexico and Canada to buy medicine that sells for far less than in the United States. But it's against federal law to import drugs.