The agency plans to authorize Florida to purchase medicines directly from wholesalers in Canada, where prices are far cheaper. Pharmaceutical companies oppose the plan.
The government will soon announce the first 10 medications that will be subject to price negotiations with Medicare under a new law. Drugmakers are fighting the measure in court.
The pharmaceutical industry finances about 75 percent of the agency’s drug division, through a controversial program that Congress must reauthorize by the end of this month.
Starting in 2025, Medicare recipients with prescription drug coverage will not have to pay more than $2,000 annually for medications, a significant savings for some.
The drug-pricing plan was negotiated with Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, but Democrats remain short of agreement on what else would be included in any domestic policy package.