NCPA Commends Senate Passage of Compounding, Drug Security Bill

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Alexandria, Va. Nov. 18, 2013 - The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) today applauded passage of The Drug Quality and Security Act (H.R. 3204) by the U.S. Senate. In response to the vote NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey, RPh, MBA issued the following statement:

"This important legislation strikes the right balance on two major issues for independent community pharmacists. We appreciate all the efforts of House and Senate leaders to craft this bill and we encourage President Obama to sign it into law.

"When manufactured drugs are not an option, community pharmacists prepare, or compound, customized medications to meet a variety of individual health needs. H.R. 3204 leaves regulation of this vital and long-accepted practice by independent community pharmacies to state boards of pharmacy, where it should be. It also establishes a voluntary, regulatory pathway for companies to register as outsourcing facilities subject to standards and inspection by the Food and Drug Administration. Thus, the legislation should help prevent a recurrence of the tragic meningitis outbreak linked to the New England Compounding Center (NECC), while preserving patient access to individual medications compounded by local pharmacies in response to a doctor's request.

"Secondly, this legislation will add important protections to further enhance the security and integrity of America's pharmaceutical supply chain. H.R. 3204 should give Americans additional confidence in the prescription drugs that community pharmacies dispense. It also was carefully crafted to avoid burdening pharmacy small businesses with cumbersome requirements or new unfunded mandates.

"NCPA members and staff worked constructively with lawmakers and their staff members at every step of this legislation's development. We appreciate the opportunity to have a voice in the legislative process on behalf of independent community pharmacists and the patients they serve."

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The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA®) represents the interests of America's community pharmacists, including the owners of more than 23,000 independent community pharmacies. Together they represent an $88.7 billion health care marketplace, dispense nearly 40% of all retail prescriptions, and employ more than 300,000 individuals, including over 62,000 pharmacists. To learn more go to www.ncpanet.org or read NCPA's blog, The Dose, athttp://ncpanet.wordpress.com/.