Compounded meds legislation introduced in House

WASHINGTON — Two lawmakers recently introduced legislation that aims to make compounded medications more accessible to patients. Reps. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., and Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, introduced HR 2871, the Preserving Patient Access to Compounded Medications Act of 2017.

The act would clarify the Drug Quality and Security Act in a way that would align the statute with congressional intent to balance the issues of public safety and patient access. The bill’s introduction has been praised by pharmacy organizations.

“NCPA supports Congress’s efforts to assure appropriate oversight of compounding pharmacies in a way that does not curtail or hinder patient access to those specially-tailored medications,” National Community Pharmacists Association CEO Doug Hoey said. “When the Drug Quality & Security Act (DQSA) became law in 2013, we and our coalition partners turned our attention to the implementation process.”

In addition to NCPA, the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacies applauded the move.

“IACP consistently has said that maintaining access to potentially life-saving compounded medications is not only vital for patients; but, is consistent with the legislative intent of the DQSA,’ the IACP said. “While reinforcing Section 503A of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act through the passage of the DQSA, Congress came together in a bipartisan and bicameral fashion to make clear that pharmacists’ ability to provide compounded medications for a physician’s administration to or treatment of a patient within their practice should be left to the states.”

Hoey said, “This common-sense, bipartisan legislative fix should be supported in the House of Representatives and a companion bill should be introduced in the Senate.”