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STAT+: FDA approves Colorado’s plan to import cheaper drugs from Canada
WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration said Monday that it will allow Colorado to import certain prescription drugs from Canada in an effort to bring prices down for residents, making it the second U.S. state to be granted such authorization.
For more than a quarter of a century, Americans have sought drugs from Canada for relief from the ever-rising costs of medicines, sometimes taking widely publicized bus trips across the border. It wasn’t until 2020, though, that the first Trump administration officially endorsed the practice, when it published a regulation allowing states and Indian tribes to propose import plans. The Biden administration affirmed this rule with an executive order in 2021. And Florida became the first state to earn FDA approval in 2024.
But state importation programs have proved extremely difficult to carry out, even with bipartisan support. Florida has yet to actually import any drugs from Canada, in part due to pushback from the Canadian pharmaceutical industry and fears the program will affect Canada’s drug supply. In May, the FDA extended its approval by six months to give the state more time to get its program up and running.