NACDS, APhA caution Trump administration on drug importation

WASHINGTON — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the American Pharmacists Association this week urged the Trump administration to steer clear of legislation that would clear the way for the importation of prescription drugs from other countries.

The two penned a letter calling on Pres. Trump and administration officials to “refrain from endorsing pending legislative proposals that would allow for broad personal and commercial importation of non-[Food and Drug Administration (FDA)] approved prescription drugs.”

The letter noted importation’s risks associated with counterfeit drugs, and specifically the risk of undermining the 2013 Drug Supply Chain Security. NACDS and APhA highlighted extensive documentation of concerns expressed by the FDA and by Canadian authorities.

“Throughout the past 15 years, through speeches, testimony, letters and other consumer resources, FDA has repeatedly sounded the alarm on the risk to patient safety posed by importation of non-FDA approved drugs,” the letter said.

The two organization emphasized that importation would serve to undermine two key elements of pharmacy-led care — the pharmacist-patient relationship and the delivery of value-based care.

“Value-based care models and other efforts to produce savings and promote quality, such as outcomes-based reimbursement, will be more difficult to measure and optimize if patients are allowed to receive care outside the model’s mechanisms to drive results,” they said.

To read the full letter, click here.