You Can Still Join the Fight Against PBMs. Come to D.C for the Congressional Fly-In April 26 & 27: Emails, phone calls, and faxes to your elected officials in Washington can get their attention, but face-to-face meetings carry the greatest weight. We need YOU to share your story about PBM abuses against your patients and your business on Capitol Hill next week during the NCPA Congressional Pharmacy Fly-In April 26-27. Urge your members of Congress to stand with community pharmacy and support critical legislation protecting your patients and your business, including bills to ban retroactive pharmacy DIR fees, improve MAC transparency, and increase pharmacy choice and access for patients. The Hilton Alexandria Old Town will serve as the anchor hotel. Register for the Fly-In at the Hilton from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 26 or 9 to 10:30 a.m. April 27 at the Capitol Visitors Center. Be on the lookout next week for an NCPA call to action related to the Fly-in for those who are unable to attend in person.
Pharmacy Visits Over Congressional District Work Periods: In an ongoing effort, NCPA has been coordinating pharmacy visits by members of congress across the country when legislators are back in their districts to educate them on issues of importance to independent community pharmacy. Recent visits that took place over the Easter break included:
- Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) visited The Topeka Pharmacy in Topeka, Indiana.
- Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) visited The Neighborhood Pharmacy of Del Ray in Alexandria, Virginia.
- Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) visited ACORx Pharmacy in Carnegie
- Caroline DeBerry from Congressman John Duncan’s (R-TN) office visited Blount Discount Pharmacy in Maryville
Vote on FDA Pick Gottlieb Set for Next Week: The Senate HELP Committee will vote on Scott Gottlieb’s nomination to run the FDA next Wednesday. Gottlieb is widely expected to gain approval, despite concerns about widespread ties to companies regulated by the agency. Gottlieb has indicated that he’ll recuse himself for one year from any FDA decisions involving about 20 health care companies he has worked with.
State Policy Recommendations for Pharmacist Medication Administration Now Available: The Medication Administration Stakeholder Group, convened by the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) and the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP), has developed state policy recommendations for pharmacist administration of medications. These recommendations encompass all non-vaccine medications, and also specifically address the administration of long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotic medications. The report can be accessed at: https://naspa.us/resource/med-admin. Also see attached.
HHS Provides $485 Million to States to Address Opioid Addiction: This week HHS announced that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will “soon provide $485 million in grants to help states and territories combat opioid addiction.” The funding will be the first of two rounds provided as part of the 21st Century Cures Act to support prevention, treatment and recovery services in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and six U.S. territories. HHS Secretary Tom Price sent letters to governors whose states are receiving funding. The letters outline the Administration’s “firm commitment to address the opioid crisis.” The letters also indicate that in the second year of the program, Secretary Price intends to “develop funding allocations and policies that are the most clinically sound, effective and efficient.
