Regulatory and Washington

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Healthcare Products Association on Friday named Vera Grill director of federal affairs, effective Feb. 8. In this capacity, Grill will coordinate and manage CHPA’s federal priorities, the association stated.

Grill comes to CHPA from the office of Rep. Charles Melancon, D-La., where she served as senior policy adviser. Prior to that, Grill worked as director of federal government relations at Pfizer.

WASHINGTON — A bill that would make the biggest changes to patent laws in more than half a century has drawn mixed responses from the drug industry.

The bill, S. 23, The Patent Reform Act of 2011, sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., would make the first significant changes to patent laws in 60 years.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association expressed its support of the Senate's decision to repeal the 1099 tax reporting mandate for businesses.

The Senate announced it passed an amendment that repealed a requirement for businesses to file 1099 forms with the Internal Revenue Service beginning in 2012 any time they spend more than $600 a year with any other business. NCPA EVP and CEO Kathleen Jaeger said that the business tax provision would have shifted community pharmacies focus from "clinical to clerical."

WASHINGTON — The Department of Health and Human Services is encouraging state governments to save money with generic drugs.

In a document released Thursday, HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius urged all 50 state governors to increase the use of generic drugs in their state Medicaid programs.

WASHINGTON — The former top executive of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association may have gone to work for the National Community Pharmacists Association, but the generic drug industry trade group got one of the independent pharmacy group’s executives as well.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — New legislation that supports medication therapy management, which is known to improve patient health outcomes and lower healthcare costs, has been endorsed by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association.

The Medication Therapy Management Empowerment Act of 2011, which was introduced by Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., builds on legislation that Hagan authored in 2010 and also was co-sponsored by Sens. Al Franken, D-Minn., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Tim Johnson, D-S.D.

WASHINGTON — One of the more recognizable faces of the Natural Products Association, VP global government and scientific affairs Daniel Fabricant, will be leaving association work in favor of the Food and Drug Administration, Drug Store News learned Wednesday.

A staunch advocate of natural products who has testified before Congress on behalf of the supplement industry, Fabricant will join the FDA as director of the division of dietary supplement programs by the end of February.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — An amendment to remove certain reporting requirements from the 1099 business tax form is winning praise from the retail pharmacy chain lobby.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores announced Wednesday its support for an amendment introduced by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., that would repeal an expansion of reporting requirements that it said would burden businesses, including retail pharmacies, with thousands of additional tax forms.