Last week, U.S. regulatory authorities gave Florida the green light to import cheaper drugs from Canada.

Health Minister Mark Holland said Florida's plan to import cheaper Canadian drugs is not successful and the federal government will use its regulatory authority to ensure that the national drug supplies do not face any shortages due to actions taken by a foreign state.

"We will not allow in any way, shape, or form any jurisdiction, whether it is a foreign country or other jurisdiction, to jeopardize Canadian drug supplies," Holland said during an official announcement in Nova Scotia about a bilateral healthcare agreement with the province, adding that this is not the right solution to any challenges they may face.

Holland said he will soon travel to Washington D.C. to inform officials there that Canada will not stand idly by if Florida or other U.S. states continue wholesale imports that threaten Canadians' access to medicine in any way.

He also added that it is inappropriate for U.S. politicians to look to Canada for help in fixing an expensive healthcare system, where high drug prices are the norm.

Mark Holland said he will ensure that the country's drug supplies are not affected by Florida's plan to import cheaper Canadian drugs.

Holland’s comments come after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week approved Florida's program to import certain medical drugs from Canada at a lower cost.

Due to restrictions on prescription drug price negotiations in the United States, politicians south of the border argued that their healthcare systems should simply buy more drugs from Canada.

A 2021 report by the Rand Corporation found that Canadian prices were only 46 percent of U.S. prices because Ottawa limits the amount that drug companies can charge for medications, whereas the United States allows the free market to dictate drug prices.

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who is also competing to be his party’s presidential nominee, has long championed this initiative. He celebrated the FDA’s decision as an opportunity for Florida to import low-cost, life-saving prescription drugs. DeSantis said the program will save Florida taxpayers $180 million in its first year of operation.

The state also said it initially wants to import drugs that treat HIV, mental illnesses, and prostate cancer.