(LAKELAND, FLA) — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is suing the FDA claiming that the agency has delayed Florida’s attempts to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada.

The governor made the comments at a press conference in Lakeland on Wednesday.

The lawsuit, filed in Tampa federal court, alleges that the FDA has held up Florida’s application for medications to treat diabetes, Hepatitis C, HIV and other illnesses…for two years.

Florida was the first state to apply for the Canadian drug importation program and DeSantis had personally lobbied former President Donald Trump to give final authorization to the plan in 2020.
DeSantis says getting prescription drugs from Canada would save Floridians an estimated $150 million on their drug costs.

President Joe Biden also issued an executive order in July 2021 that directed the FDA to implement the program.

Officials with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration said the FDA never provided further information.

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf also failed to provide a timeline for Florida’s application when asked about it a month later.