Regulatory and Washington

05/09/2013 - 10:25am
NCPA favors Medicare Prescription Drug Program Integrity and Transparency Act

Bipartisan legislation that would let pharmacists devote more time to Medicare beneficiaries and less to adjudicating claims with pharmacy benefit management firms was introduced in the U.S. Senate and won the backing of the National Community Pharmacists Association earlier this week.

05/09/2013 - 8:21am
Senators propose legislation to carve out 'compounding manufacturers' subject to FDA regulation

One of the difficulties that federal regulators ran into during the nationwide scandal surrounding the New England Compounding Center — the Massachusetts-based pharmacy blamed for a nationwide fungal meningitis epidemic that has sickened hundreds and killed dozens — was the issue of when such pharmacies cross the line from compounding to manufacturing.

05/08/2013 - 1:54pm
Merck submits FDA filing for ragweed allergy drug

Drug maker Merck is seeking regulatory approval for an experimental tablet placed under the tongue that could be used to treat ragweed allergies.

05/08/2013 - 1:27pm
Healthcare reform law provisions could affect pharmaceutical innovation, Bristol-Myers Squibb exec says

Drug maker Bristol-Myers Squibb foresees significant effects on its business from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, company executives told attendees of its recent shareholder meeting.

05/08/2013 - 12:59pm
Independent pharmacists conduct more than 500 meetings with legislators on the Hill

More than 300 independent community pharmacists from across the country met in Washington, D.C., at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill Wednesday for the 2013 National Community Pharmacists Association Conference on Legislation and Government Affairs.

05/08/2013 - 10:51am
CRN, NPA bring Congress up to speed around value of dietary supplement industry

The Council for Responsible Nutrition and the Natural Products Association announced they have met with the entire freshman class of the 113th Congress, including 83 offices in the House of Representatives and 14 offices in the Senate, as part of their educational efforts to ensure that newly elected members of Congress have accurate information about dietary supplements and their role in good health.

05/07/2013 - 4:29pm
Specialty Pharmacy Certification Board to start offering certification exam in October

The outline of an exam that will be used to certify pharmacists working in the specialty channel has received approval from the Specialty Pharmacy Certification Board, the group said.

05/07/2013 - 3:54pm
Senate approves online sales tax bill, House next stop for Marketplace Fairness Act proponents

The U.S. Senate passed the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would enable states to collect sales tax on online transactions, to widespread applause from big-box retail.

05/07/2013 - 12:58pm
NCPA gearing up for busy two days on Capitol Hill tackling issues critical to community pharmacy

The National Community Pharmacists Association is expecting its highest turnout in two years for the association's 2013 Legislative and Government Affairs conference being held Tuesday and Wednesday.

05/07/2013 - 12:27pm
NCPA highlights Taxpayers Protection Alliance report criticizing mail-order pharmacy

Federal prescription drug programs are more susceptible to waste, fraud and abuse because of the lack of transparency and oversight of mail-order pharmacy, proclaimed the Taxpayers Protection Alliance on Tuesday in a report called “The Expensive Truth Behind Taxpayer-Funded Mail Order Pharmaceuticals.”

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