Opinion: State drug importation programs will work with the FDA, not outside of it

The safety of the supply chain for pharmaceuticals in the United States must be built with solid links. That hasn’t always been the case, which is why the Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA) was signed into law in 2013. Part of that law (Title II) mandates the development of a national “track-and-trace” electronic system that documents a drug’s distribution path from the manufacturing plant to the pharmacy counter. It facilitates detection and removal of potentially dangerous drugs from the drug supply chain. This system, which will be fully implemented in the next few years, will extend to drugs manufactured outside in the U.S. in FDA-registered facilities.

Florida recently joined Colorado, Maine, and Vermont as states that have passed laws to create state-administered programs for wholesale prescription drug importation; other states are considering the same thing. Because FDA law requires that any importation program must be approved by the secretary of Health and Human Services, the Trump administration has directed HHS to work with Florida to create a program that HHS can approve.

Read the rest…

Read Original Article: Opinion: State drug importation programs will work with the FDA, not outside of it »