Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration has filed a lawsuit alleging that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not complied with a public-records request that would shed light on why the FDA has not yet approved the state's proposed program to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada.
Gov. DeSantis railed against the drug regulator at a press conference announcing the lawsuit.
"And so it's our view that we've waited long enough. And so today we're taking action. The state of Florida has now filed a lawsuit against the FDA. They have unlawfully withheld and unreasonably delayed approval of Florida's program. And we think this violates federal law. So we're asking a federal judge to order the FDA to put an end to that delay and to approve Florida's [plan]."
The Florida lawsuit, filed in federal court on Monday, comes after the Agency for Health Care Administration filed a Freedom of Information Act request on July 6 that sought FDA records on Florida and other states' drug-import proposals.
"The FDA has neither provided AHCA any responsive documents in response to its request, nor has the FDA claimed that any responsive records are exempt from disclosure. Therefore, the FDA's failure to produce requested records or claim applicable exemptions violates FOIA.".
"In the nearly two years while Florida's proposal has been pending, the FDA has asked for several clarifications and supplements but has provided no outward evidence of substantive progress towards approving the proposal," the Florida lawsuit added, claiming that the "FDA has also refused to provide a timeline for the approval process."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's lawsuit presses the FDA to defend its policy of shielding Big Pharma from reliable and trustworthy foreign competition.
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