Pharmacy groups oppose electronic pedigree bill

Despite supporting some provisions, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association urge rejection of legislation introduced by Reps. Steve Buyer, D-Ind., and Jim Matheson, D-Utah, that sets specific deadlines to implement drug tracking requirements (1"The Pink Sheet," April 21, 2008, p. 19). In a May 13 letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the groups say they "cannot support H.R. 5839, or any other legislation that would mandate an unproven and unfunded electronic pedigree/track and trace system." They assert that track and trace systems are "many years away from full development" and "many years away from being reliable or operationally effective at the pharmacy level." Provisions the groups support include giving the FDA authority to seize and destroy all adulterated and misbranded drugs at the nation's port of entry and stronger licensure standards for wholesalers

Despite supporting some provisions, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association urge rejection of legislation introduced by Reps. Steve Buyer, D-Ind., and Jim Matheson, D-Utah, that sets specific deadlines to implement drug tracking requirements (¹ (Also see "House Bill Requires Standard Numerical Identifiers For Drug Tracking By 2010" - Pink Sheet, 21 Apr, 2008.), p. 19). In a May 13 letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the groups say they "cannot support H.R. 5839, or any other legislation that would mandate an unproven and unfunded electronic pedigree/track and trace system." They assert that track and trace systems are "many years away from full development" and "many years away from being reliable or operationally effective at the pharmacy level." Provisions the groups support include giving the FDA authority to seize and destroy all adulterated and misbranded drugs at the nation's port of entry and stronger licensure standards for wholesalers.