Committee advances bill to secure pharmaceutical supply chain

ARLINGTON, Va. — A federal drug track-and-trace bill has made it out of a congressional committee.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted to approve H.R. 1919, the Safeguarding America's Pharmaceuticals Act of 2013, sponsored by Reps. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, and Jim Matheson, D-Utah.

"We are pleased that Congress is closer to enacting a bipartisan solution to protect patient safety and enhance the efficiency of the healthcare supply chain — the passage of this bill today through the House Energy and Commerce Committee is an important step in that direction," president and CEO John Gray of primary healthcare distributor trade group HDMA said.