NABP Headlines                                                                                         

Mississippi Law to Require Prescription for PSE Products
Signed into law by Governor Haley Barbour on February 11, 2010, House Bill 512, will require patients in Mississippi to obtain a prescription for medications containing pseudoephedrine (PSE) beginning July 1, 2010. By including PSE – the key precursor ingredient in methamphetamine production – as a Schedule III controlled substance, Mississippi’s law aims to curb the illegal manufacture of methamphetamine, as explained in the governor’s news release. The March 2010 NABP Newsletter article “Regulating Methamphetamine Precursors: Which Laws and Programs Are Most Effective?” reviews federal and state meth-precursor laws and program outcomes.

Weill Cornell Medical College Study Shows E-Prescribing Reduces Prescriber Errors
Prescribers using e-prescribing were seven times less likely to make errors than those writing their prescriptions by hand, according to a new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. The study, conducted by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College, focused on twelve community practices and compared the prescriptions of 15 providers using e-prescribing and 15 providers writing prescriptions by hand. The researchers found that two in five handwritten prescriptions contained errors such as incomplete directions, prescribing a medication but omitting the quantity, and prescribing incorrect dosages. More information is available in a Weill Cornell Medical College press release. NABP convened a Task Force on Electronic Prescribing Software Standards and Data Storage on September 15-16, 2009, to evaluate the current regulatory and operational status of the electronic transmission of prescriptions and prescription data, develop standards for e-prescribing software and systems, and review current storage requirements for hard copy and electronically transmitted prescription data; the report of the task force will be released in March.

Report Examines Why Men Order Medications Online Without Prescriptions
In order to protect the public health and to combat the counterfeit drug industry, a new report examines why men in the United Kingdom purchase prescription medications without a prescription and aims to educate the public about the dangers of counterfeit drugs. The study surveyed 935 men in UK cities and found that half of those purchasing drugs without prescriptions order from Internet sites. The report notes that 90% of medications ordered online are expected to be fake, but most of the men surveyed seemed not to realize this fact. One respondent thought he could recognize a counterfeit pill, and 37% reported that if they knew a drug was unsafe, they would visit their physician instead of purchasing it online without a prescription. Men cited convenience and avoiding embarrassment at the physician’s office as reasons they have ordered drugs online. In addition, the study revealed that many men are confused about which medications require a prescription.

Canadian Internet Pharmacy Owner Loses License for Illegally Dispensing to US Consumers
The Canadian pharmacist who owned and operated a highly profitable Internet pharmacy complied with the decision of the Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association to have his name removed from the Register of Pharmacists. At disciplinary hearings in 2009, the pharmacist was charged with dispensing prescription drugs supplied from a business in the Bahamas to patients in the United States; allowing dispensed drugs to be shipped through other countries before entering the US, which concealed the drug source from consumers; allowing his pharmacy’s name to appear on prescription labels of the drugs, which gave the appearance they were dispensed in Canada; and dispensing prescription drugs that were past or close to the expiration date, and drugs not approved by the Canadian regulatory agency, Health Canada. The charges followed a three-year investigation initiated by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allegations that his pharmacy dispensed counterfeit medicines to US consumers.

Florida Man Convicted for Diverting Prescription Drugs, Sentenced to 70 Months
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced on February 18, 2010 that a Florida man who operated as a prescription drug wholesaler has received a 70-month prison sentence following a conviction for conspiring to divert prescription drugs through interstate commerce. Through two Miami-based prescription drug wholesale operations, one of which was unlicensed, the man ordered from unlicensed California-based human growth hormone suppliers who regularly shipped hundreds of boxes of Serostim and Nutropin AQ from 2000 to 2001. Further, the man distributed counterfeit Nutropin AQ, which entered the US drug supply chain and caused harm to a child. The wholesaler broke laws related to the Prescription Drug Marketing Act, which prohibits wholesale distributors from interstate commerce without a license in an effort to combat diversion and counterfeiting. NABP established the Verified-Accredited Wholesale Distributors^CM(VAWD^CM) program in 2004 to help further protect the public from the threat of counterfeit drugs. VAWD accreditation provides assurance that a wholesale distribution facility operates legitimately, is validly licensed in good standing, and employs security and best practices for safe distribution.