ORLANDO, Fla. — On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration announced approval of Florida's first-in-the-nation Canadian drug import program, and insulin is expected to be one of the included drugs.

For Christina Martin, a Type 1 diabetic and proponent of lowering the cost of insulin, the move made her hopeful that meaningful change could be coming for Floridians.

What You Need To Know

  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday that the FDA had approved a plan for the state to import lower-cost prescriptions from Canada

  • Drugs for HIV/AIDS, mental illness, prostate cancer, and diabetes are on the list of those expected to be imported

  • Lawmakers hope importing the drugs will amount to savings as some prescriptions in Canada are known to be cheaper

  • Christina Martin, who has Type 1 diabetes and is the founder of the Type Zero Foundation, said the plan makes her hopeful that meaningful change in the cost of prescription drugs could be coming for Floridians

Gov. Ron DeSantis's office estimated that the program could mean up to $180 million in savings for Florida residents in the first year alone.

In the first phase of the program, a number of Canadian prescription drugs will roll out to those under the care of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, Department of Children and Families, Department of Corrections, and Department of Health.

Information from DeSantis' office indicates that from there, the program will expand to cover those on Medicaid.

Diabetes is one of the conditions expected to be included in the prescription roll out, as the cost of insulin has long been an issue for diabetics nationwide.

Martin founded the Type Zero Foundation to provide community support for people with diabetes and their families.

She said it is difficult to face a diabetes diagnosis, and finding out how much the treatment will cost just makes it worse.

"I spend probably about an average of $300 a month," Martin said. "Certain treatment options, like an insulin pump, they're not accessible to everyone."

Martin has been on insulin ever since her diagnosis, and began laying the groundwork for her foundation as a teenager.

"When I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 13, it was a really scary experience for me," she said. "It was confusing."

Martin said she hopes the program will be able to help those in the diabetes community struggling to pay for treatment.

While there's uncertainty on whether Canadian imports will end up making a significant impact on the American market, the White House still calls it a step in the right direction.

Meanwhile, Martin hopes the program will signal more changes to come.

"This is a start," she said. "And we need to continue learning about diabetes. We need to educate our public on it and do everything we can to make this disease easier to live with."