Rep. Leek Discusses FDA's Approval of His Cost-Lowering Prescription Bill

Rep. Leek Discusses FDA's Approval of His Cost-Lowering Prescription Bill

Jackson Bakich
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February 5, 2024
State Representative Tom Leek (R-Ormand Beach) spoke with The Floridian regarding his bill that has finally gone into effect after nearly five years since its passage. The bill, HB 19 – Prescription Drug Importation Programs – was sponsored by State Rep. Leek and was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in 2019. State Rep. Leek’s […]
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Big Pharma Pushes Petition to Block Florida Plan to Lower Prescription Drug Costs

Big Pharma Pushes Petition to Block Florida Plan to Lower Prescription Drug Costs

Chris Nelson
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September 22, 2023
Big Pharma is pushing back on a Florida proposal that aims to make prescription drugs less expensive by allowing them to be imported safely from Canada. A petition has been filed on the site Regulations.gov by Washington D.C. lawfirm Covington & Burling on behalf of PhRMA, the union representing the nation's largest biopharmaceutical research companies, […]
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Florida Coalition Launched to Fight Against Prescription Drug Prices

Florida Coalition Launched to Fight Against Prescription Drug Prices

Jackson Bakich
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March 16, 2023
Across Florida, members of various organizations, associations, and advocacy groups have formed a new coalition to address and fight against prescription drug prices and the “pharmacy middlemen.” The name of the coalition is known as The PBM (Pharmacy Benefit Managers) Accountability Project of Florida. According to the group, the coalition “represents leaders from Florida’s business […]
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Brodeur Files DeSantis's 'Prescription Drug Reform' Bill

Brodeur Files DeSantis's 'Prescription Drug Reform' Bill

Javier Manjarres
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March 3, 2023
Just when lawmakers, lobbyists, and public relations firms thought that the last weekend before the 2023 legislative session would be a quiet and uneventful one—the calm before the storm, if you will— Senator Jason Brodeur threw a monkey wrench into their weekend plans. On Friday, Sen. Brodeur filed Gov. Ron DeSantis’s much-anticipated 43-page “Prescription Drug […]
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DeSantis Proposes Legislation To Weaken Big Pharma, cut Prescription Drug Prices

DeSantis Proposes Legislation To Weaken Big Pharma, cut Prescription Drug Prices

Javier Manjarres
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January 12, 2023
A week after The Floridian reported that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was going to push for the state legislature to address the prescription drug issue, Governor DeSantis dropped an anvil on the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) lobby. During a press conference in The Villages retirement community in Central Florida, Gov. DeSantis signaled to the Republican-led […]
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Rubio and FL Reps Call on FDA to Approve Import of Canadian Prescription Drugs

Rubio and FL Reps Call on FDA to Approve Import of Canadian Prescription Drugs

Jackson Bakich
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November 3, 2022
With rising prescription drug costs throughout the nation, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) implemented a program labeled the Canadian Prescription Drug Importation Program. This effort, which was created alongside the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) which was designed to allow the state of Florida to import Canadian prescription drugs in hopes of reducing the prices. […]
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New Poll: Nearly 50% of Seniors Oppose Inflation Reduction Act

New Poll: Nearly 50% of Seniors Oppose Inflation Reduction Act

Jim McCool
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September 13, 2022
While inflation has remained President Biden's (D) biggest challenge to his presidency, it seems that this hurdle is now being reflected in public opinion. The Inflation Reduction Act has been coined by Democrats as the solution for inflation, but 50% of seniors still oppose the legislation. Last month, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, […]
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DeSantis Urges Biden Admin to Keep Prescription Drug Prices Down

DeSantis Urges Biden Admin to Keep Prescription Drug Prices Down

Jim McCool
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June 2, 2021
The direction of Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL), the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) filed an amicus brief in support of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) final rule implementing the Section 804 Importation Proposal (SIP). DeSantis has since urged the Biden Administration to approve his recent proposal to continue the […]
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DeSantis Moves to Lower Prescription Drug Prices

DeSantis Moves to Lower Prescription Drug Prices

Daniel Molina
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November 23, 2020
Today, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) announced the Agency for Health Care Administration has officially submitted the Section 804 Importation Proposal to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for Florida’s Canadian Prescription Drug Importation Program.
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PBM's continue to protect consumers from rising Rx drug costs

PBM's continue to protect consumers from rising Rx drug costs

Opinion
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August 27, 2020
By Scott Lara Before COVID-19 shut down the global economy, prescription drug costs were already a concern for many Floridians. Now more than ever, with about 17% of the state’s workforce filing for unemployment, keeping the cost of prescription drugs down is crucial for consumers across the state who have been forced into challenging circumstances […]
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Hold Our Pharmacy Benefit Managers Harmless

Hold Our Pharmacy Benefit Managers Harmless

Opinion
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March 10, 2020
Over 200 million Americans have their pharmacy benefits managed through a Pharmacy Benefit Manager, saving us approximately 25 percent on the cost of our prescription drugs vs. unmanaged drug costs. They are the only entities in the drug supply chain dedicated to lowering the cost and increasing the quality of our prescription drugs.
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DeSantis says less expensive Canadian Rx drugs coming to Florida

DeSantis says less expensive Canadian Rx drugs coming to Florida

Javier Manjarres
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December 19, 2019
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) close personal and working relationship with President Trump continues to pay dividends for Floridians, as the governor announced that the Trump administration plan to allow for “safe and affordable prescription drug importation from Canada”  to Florida has moved a step further.
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House Democrat Rx bill is

House Democrat Rx bill is "dead on arrival" in Senate

Javier Manjarres
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December 18, 2019
Last week, the Democratic-lead House of Representatives passed the Lower Costs Now Act of 2019  along party lines by a vote margin of 230-192.
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Rep. Toledo files bill to address sky-high prescription drug prices

Rep. Toledo files bill to address sky-high prescription drug prices

Javier Manjarres
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December 18, 2019
Cutting the astronomical costs of prescription drugs is a bipartisan effort that is being pushed both at the federal and state levels of government, and considering that Florida has a huge and growing retirement community, the need to cut drug costs for those on a fixed retirement income is that much more important.
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House passes bill to lower prescription drug costs

House passes bill to lower prescription drug costs

Javier Manjarres
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December 14, 2019
House passes bill to lower prescription drug costs
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Florida's Rx drug supply chain needs fixing, more transparency

Florida's Rx drug supply chain needs fixing, more transparency

Javier Manjarres
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November 6, 2019
Yesterday, the Florida Senate met in two separate committees to discuss the issue of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) in the prescription drug supply chain. Both meetings had diverse panels representing the various interests in the matter as they attempted to move toward reform.
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Prescription drug debate heats up in Congress

Prescription drug debate heats up in Congress

Javier Manjarres
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September 22, 2019
Both Republican and Democratic members of Congress want to make prescription drug prices more affordable for Americans, as does President Donald Trump, who asked for bipartisan legislation to cut drug costs for Americans.
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Trump administration advances drug-importation plan

Trump administration advances drug-importation plan

News Service of Florida
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August 2, 2019
In a move that could help Gov. Ron DeSantis carry out an ambitious effort to cut drug prices, President Donald Trump’s administration announced Wednesday a plan intended to make it easier for states like Florida to bring in prescription drugs from Canada and other countries.
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