Newswise — The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) is disappointed by today's vote of the U.S. House of Representatives approving legislation that would compromise the integrity of the United States' medication supply system and facilitate the movement of counterfeit medications into this country.
According to John A. Gans, PharmD, APhA Executive Vice President, "It's good news that Congress is talking about how to help patients access their prescription medications. But the bill they passed early this morning is bad news. It's the wrong answer to a good question—How do we increase Americans' access to the medications they need?"
Gans referenced the recent arrest of 19 individuals in Florida for counterfeiting drugs, asking, "Why, at the very time that counterfeiters have penetrated our gold-standard system, and the FDA and other regulators are looking to increase their oversight, has the House determined that it's appropriate to open our borders? It raises real patient safety issues."
The World Health Organization has estimated that perhaps seven or eight percent of drugs worldwide are counterfeit, and reports from some countries suggest that as much as one-half of those countries' drugs are counterfeit.
"The safety and integrity of our medication supply system is due largely to the efforts of the FDA and other agencies," said Gans. "If this bill becomes law, not only would it limit the ability of the FDA to regulate that system and create an avenue for counterfeiters and others who want to do harm, but it also would disrupt the important relationships between physicians, pharmacists, and patients that are essential to helping Americans make the best use of their medications."
"We must not compromise safety in the name of expediency," said Gans. The value of medications can't be measured by dollar signs alone. Access to medications and pharmacists' services is critical to improving America's health. At the same time we need to look at unwise legislation and the lives it may put at risk. We need true solutions, such as a meaningful Medicare prescription drug benefit. Let's keep the focus where it belongs, where we can do some real good, without compromising safety."
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