Regulatory and Washington

ARLINGTON, Va. — As one of the most accessible healthcare providers in the community, pharmacists are an ideal resource for consumers on the risks of illegal Internet drug sellers. That was a key message that the National Association of Chain Drug Stores stressed in a statement submitted to a congressional panel.

The U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing titled “Counterfeit Drugs: Fighting Illegal Supply Chains.”

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday proposed to update the Nutrition Facts label for packaged foods to reflect the latest scientific information, including the link between diet and such chronic diseases as obesity and heart disease. The proposed label also would replace out-of-date serving sizes to better align with how much people really eat, and it would feature a fresh design to highlight key parts of the label such as calories and serving sizes.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — A pair of Food and Drug Administration advisory committees on Tuesday voted against the over-the-counter sale of Armstrong Pharmaceuticals' Primatene HFA, an epinephrine inhalation aerosol indicated for the temporary relief of mild symptoms of intermittent asthma for people ages 12 years or older.

WASHINGTON — As part of the National Governors Association’s ongoing effort to help states reduce prescription drug abuse, findings from the Prescription Drug Abuse Reduction Policy Academy were the focus of the Health and Human Services Committee session at NGA’s 2014 Winter Meeting, the association announced Sunday. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee vice chair Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Rep. Tom Marino, R-Pa., have introduced legislation that would establish a work group to explore opportunities to reduce prescription drug abuse without compromising access to medications for patients who legitimately need them.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores on Tuesday expressed its support for the new legislation — the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2013 (H.R. 4069).

ATLANTA — The Drug Enforcement Administration's Atlanta Field Division last week announced the launch of an anonymous statewide prescription drug texting tip line available to the public. 

ORLANDO, Fla. — Healtheway on Monday announced the formation of Carequality, a new initiative dedicated to accelerating progress in health data exchange among multiplatform networks, healthcare providers, electronic health record vendors and health information exchange vendors. Carequality is an open, transparent and inclusive industry-driven effort. It will convene stakeholders and facilitate industry consensus to develop and maintain a standards-based interoperability framework that enables information exchange between and among networks.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force on Tuesday posted its final recommendation statement on vitamin, mineral and multivitamin supplements for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer. However, the Task Force concluded there is not enough evidence to determine the effectiveness of taking vitamins and minerals to prevent cardiovascular disease or cancer.