Regulatory and Washington

WASHINGTON — The electronic currency known as bitcoin allows small- and medium-sized companies to reach more customers by opening new markets that were previously unreachable, the co-founder of a company that allows businesses to use bitcoins said in testimony Tuesday before two Senate subcommittees. And it appears that federal authorities are open to its development.

WASHINGTON — More than six dozen pharmacists and pharmacy students from in and around the District of Columbia offered free health screenings on Capitol Hill Tuesday as a way to promote awareness of the role pharmacists play in the healthcare system.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — Following actions by the Food and Drug Administration, USPLabs has agreed to recall and destroy the dietary supplement OxyElite Pro, as it has been linked to dozens of cases of acute liver failure and hepatitis, including one death and illnesses so severe that several patients required liver transplants, the agency noted Wednesday. 

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Through mid-November, a national registry of over-the-counter drugs considered chemical precursors to methamphetamine prevented more than 16,700 boxes of the drugs from being sold illegally.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Reps. Doug Collins, R-Ga., and Martha Roby, R-Ala., on Tuesday advocated for community pharmacy with letters addressed to the leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Ways and Means Committee. 

In serving Medicare seniors, community pharmacies should be subject to the same three-year audit review period as hospitals, and not forced to document 10-year-old claims, the Representatives suggested.  

SILVER SPRING, Md. — At the request of the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Marshals seized dietary supplements manufactured and held by Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals, located in Norcross, Ga., after FDA investigators found the products contained 1, 3-Dimethylamylamine HCl (DMAA) or its chemical equivalent, the agency announced Monday.  

DUBLIN — Drug maker Actavis hopes to become the first to market with a generic version of a topical testosterone replacement drug marketed by Eli Lilly, Actavis said.

The generic drug maker it filed with the Food and Drug Administration for approval of testosterone topical solution in the 30-mg-per-1.5 mL strength, a generic version of Lilly's Axiron. The drug is used as a replacement therapy for deficient or absent testosterone.

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Environmental Protection Agency has recognized Ahold USA for its efforts to reduce food waste, the agency said.