Regulatory and Washington

ALEXANDRIA, Va. The National Community Pharmacists Association is urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to follow guidance that Congress included in the healthcare-reform law in its implementation of a new Medicaid generic drug reimbursement formula based on average manufacturer price, the organization said Tuesday.

CMS recently withdrew provisions that would have dramatically cut Medicaid pharmacy reimbursement to community pharmacies from a previously proposed AMP rule due to an injunction that the NCPA obtained in 2007.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores commended the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Tuesday after the agency proposed a rule that would withdraw two provisions related to pharmacy Medicaid reimbursement.

PITTSBURGH The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic drug for HIV made by a subsidiary of Mylan under a program that supplies drugs to people living with HIV in developing countries, Mylan said Tuesday.

WASHINGTON The Consumer Healthcare Products Association on Thursday announced its support behind the passage of H.R. 5932, the Organized Retail Theft Investigation and Prosecution Act, signaling that it “provides a good first step toward effectively addressing organized retail crime by establishing a dedicated office within the [U.S.] Department of Justice to work with state and local law enforcement.”

WASHINGTON McNeil products soon will repopulate shelves, Johnson & Johnson chairman and CEO Bill Weldon shared on Thursday during his testimony before the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. Two groups representing the nation's pharmacies lauded the passage of the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act by the Senate and House of Representatives.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association announced their support of the bill, which fosters collaboration between pharmacies, consumers and law enforcement for the safe disposal of unused drugs. The National Community Pharmacist Association developed its own voluntary prescription drug-disposal program, called Dispose My Meds.

LONDON British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline has stopped a late-stage trial of a vaccine for genital herpes, citing disappointing results, GSK said Thursday.

WASHINGTON Another group representing retailers has joined those opposed to legislation designed to pressure China to revalue its currency.