WASHINGTON - Our pharmacy organizations are deeply concerned about FDA’s recent authorization of a state drug importation program, which could open the door for harmful and counterfeit drugs to enter our nation’s drug supply, with no evidence that this will result in cost savings for our patients.
FDA recently authorized Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration to import certain drugs under specific conditions. Under current law, FDA can only authorize importation if the program will significantly reduce the cost to the American consumer without imposing additional risk to public health and safety. FDA’s announcement did not contain any data or information that assure that this standard has been met.
While our organizations share concerns regarding the high cost of medicines in the United States, patient safety should not be compromised under any circumstance. As pharmacists, we are on the front lines protecting our nation’s drug supply chain and ensuring the delivery of safe and effective medicines to our patients. State importation programs introduce several opportunities for mix-ups, mishandling, mislabeling, and other rogue activity that would place some of our most vulnerable patient communities at risk.
Pharmacists have been working with manufacturers and wholesalers for over ten years to implement the Drug Supply Chain and Security Act (DSCSA), a law that requires tracing of drugs through the supply chain by creating a closed drug distribution system in the U.S. to protect patients from receiving harmful drugs. DSCSA imposes protections and requires documentation that follows the drug from the manufacturer to the pharmacy, so it is clear who owned the product, and that the product is legitimate. Canada does not have a similar law, leaving our drug supply chain at risk under Florida’s program.
We look forward to continuing to work with FDA and other policymakers to implement meaningful solutions to lower the high cost of prescription drugs without compromising patient safety.
- American Pharmacists Association
- Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy
- American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
- American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists
- American College of Clinical Pharmacy
- American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
- Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association
- National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations
- National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
- National Community Pharmacists Association
- Society of Infectious Disease Pharmacists
- Alabama Pharmacy Association
- Alaska Pharmacy Association
- Arizona Pharmacy Association
- Arkansas Pharmacists Association
- California Pharmacists Association
- Colorado Pharmacists Society
- Connecticut Pharmacists Association
- Delaware Pharmacists Society
- Georgia Pharmacy Association
- Hawaii Pharmacists Association
- Illinois Pharmacists Association
- Indiana Pharmacy Association
- Iowa Pharmacy Association
- Kansas Pharmacists Association
- Kentucky Pharmacists Association
- Maine Pharmacy Association
- Maryland Pharmacists Association
- Michigan Pharmacists Association
- Minnesota Pharmacists Association
- Mississippi Pharmacists Association
- Missouri Pharmacy Association
- Montana Pharmacy Association
- Nebraska Pharmacists Association
- Nevada Pharmacy Alliance
- New Jersey Pharmacists Association
- North Carolina Association of Pharmacists
- North Dakota Pharmacists Association
- Ohio Pharmacists Association
- Oklahoma Pharmacists Association
- Oregon State Pharmacy Association
- Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association
- Pharmacists Society of the State of New York
- Rhode Island Pharmacists Association
- South Carolina Pharmacy Association
- South Dakota Pharmacists Association
- Tennessee Pharmacists Association
- Utah Pharmacy Association
- Virginia Pharmacy Association
- Washington D.C. Pharmacy Association
- Washington State Pharmacy Association
- West Virginia Pharmacists Association
- Wyoming Pharmacy Association
- Alabama Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc
- Arkansas Association of Health-System Pharmacists
- Colegio de Farmaceuticos de Puerto Rico
- Colorado Pharmacists Society
- East Alabama Health
- Georgia Society of Health-System Pharmacists
- Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists
- Kansas Council of Health-System Pharmacy
- Kentucky Society of Health-System Pharmacists
- Louisiana Society of Health-System Pharmacists
- Michigan Society of Health-System Pharmacists
- Minnesota Society of Health-System Pharmacists
- Mississippi Society of Health-System Pharmacists
- Missouri Society of Health-System Pharmacist
- New Jersey Society of Health-System Pharmacy
- New York State Council of Health-System Pharmacists
- Pennsylvania Society of Health-System Pharmacists
- Rhode Island Society of Health System Pharmacists
- Texas Society of Health-System Pharmacists
- Virginia Society of Health-System Pharmacists
- Vermont Society of Health-System Pharmacists
- Washington State Pharmacy Association
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