Regulatory and Washington

ORLANDO, Fla. — Food and Drug Administration Office of Generic Drugs' acting director Kathleen Uhl on Thursday highlighted the industry and FDA’s shared commitment to Generic Drug User Fee Act milestones and approaching metrics in her keynote address at the GPhA Annual Meeting taking place here.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday announced the initiation of the Secure Supply Chain Pilot Program to enhance the security of imported drugs. 

In August 2013, the FDA published a notice in the Federal Register (78 FR 51192) to solicit companies to voluntarily submit applications for participation in this two-year program. Thirteen prequalified companies have now been designated to take part, and will receive expedited entry for the importation of up to five selected drug products into the United States.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Legislation recently introduced by U.S. Rep. Tom Marino, R-Pa., which is intended to reduce the abuse of prescription drugs by fostering greater collaboration among stakeholders and implementing new safeguards, has received the endorsement of the National Community Pharmacists Association.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Senate on Tuesday voted 25-to-9 to make pseudoephedrine a Schedule IV prescription drug and exempt medicines that can’t easily be diverted to methamphetamine, according to published reports. A similar bill is being considered by the West Virginia House of Delegates.

According to reports, the two exceptions to the prescription-only requirement would include Acura Pharmaceuticals' Nexafed and Westport Pharmaceuticals' Zephrex-D. 

NEW YORK — The Electronic Retailing Self-Regulation Program on Tuesday recommended that truDERMA discontinue certain claims for the company’s Troxyphen dietary supplement, including claims that the product is “safe and clinically researched.”

As support for the performance and establishment claims at issue, the marketer submitted testing on its key ingredient. After reviewing the evidence, ERSP concluded that truDERMA provided a reasonable basis for claims relating to an “increased sex drive.”

Now that most generics have declined in cost, plans will look for new ways to control health spend and ensure that generics are being used whenever possible. Prescription drug spending is down, and generic drugs made up 77% of all 2012 prescriptions, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Could this generic utilization percentage go even higher as a result of recent healthcare legislation?

Medicaid is increasingly becoming a managed care program, and states are looking to entities like pharmacy benefit managers to help them manage their drug spend.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved Vimizim (elosulfase alfa), the first FDA-approved treatment for Mucopolysaccharidosis Type IVA (Morquio A syndrome), which is a rare disease caused by a deficiency in N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase (GALNS).

The federal agency in charge of Medicare is pushing for a major overhaul of its Medicare Part D drug benefit program for seniors. Those changes, if adopted, could help level the competitive playing field for pharmacy retailers in Part D plan networks, reduce competitive advantages for preferred pharmacy networks and mail-order pharmacies, and put a tighter squeeze on pharmacy benefit managers.

Thus, the proposals by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for the 2015 federal fiscal year could spell big changes for retail pharmacies. Among the most far-reaching are: