2008 Symposium

December 4-5, 2008
J.W. Marriott Starr Pass Hotel
Tucson, AZ

Continuing Pharmacy Education Sessions

The following presentations were shown at the NABP 2008 Symposium:
 

Counterfeit Drugs: Serious Threat or Ploy?

Issue Introduction and Overview

State and federal pharmacy regulators, as well as law enforcement agencies, continue to gauge anti-counterfeiting efforts and seek to gain as much information as possible – but are counterfeit drugs a true concern? If so, can these concerns be substantiated? Why do some people, including legislators and patients, continue to ignore the warnings? This session will provide an overview of the problem of drug counterfeiting and what can be expected in the future.

• Francis B. Palumbo, MS, PhD, JD, RPh, Professor and Executive Director, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Center on Drugs and Public Policy
  Counterfeit Drugs: Serious Threat or Ploy? Issue Introduction & Overview

The Hard Evidence of Counterfeit Drugs

Patients may use more caution when buying medications online as they become aware of the dangers and the prevalence of counterfeit products. Attendees will be provided the hard evidence as experts report on testing of counterfeit drugs obtained from foreign online sources.

• Ronald J. Ziance, PhD, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern Nevada College of Pharmacy
  Counterfeit Drugs

A Global Look at Counterfeiting

This session will examine the problem of counterfeiting worldwide. Examined will be counterfeiting incentives, international patterns, regulatory challenges, and future predictions.

• Frederick Felman, BS, Chief Marketing Officer, MarkMonitor
  Online Pharmaceutical Brand Abuse

Malware Ties to Online Drug Distributors and Organized Crime: What are the Implications?

Recent research has identified a link between originators of malware, or malicious software, and illegal pharmaceutical supply chain businesses and the use of “botnets” to send commissionable spam promoting their Web sites. Symposium participants will be updated on the impact of these Internet botnets, the real senders of pharmacy spam, and how malware continues to be innovative and evade computer security.

• Matthew E. Ziemniak, MS, Program Director – Cyber Operations, National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance
  Malware, Organized Crime, and Ties to Pharmaceutical Spam Campaigns

Pedigrees: From Tomatoes to Jalapeños to Pharmaceuticals

In 2003, the food industry fought against FDA’s proposed food-tracking system citing that it “would be exorbitantly costly.” It could be argued that this defeat resulted this year in more than 1,300 people succumbing to food borne illness and $250 million in estimated business losses. Without nationwide pedigree legislation in place, could pharmaceuticals be next?

• Catherine M. Polley, RPh, Vice President, Pharmacy Services, Food Marketing Institute
  Pedigrees: From Tomatoes to Jalapeños to Pharmaceuticals

California Pedigree Law Update

California recently passed one of the nation’s most comprehensive electronic pedigree laws.
Symposium participants will learn about the language of the legislation, as well as the challenges with its implementation.

• Virginia “Giny” Herold, MS, Executive Officer, California State Board of Pharmacy
  California Prescription Drug Pedigree Requirement
  
  

What Are We Going to Do to Counter Counterfeiting?

Collaborative Efforts for Tomorrow

NABP staff will inform participants about current and potential future efforts to curb counterfeiting, avert illegally operating rogue Internet drug outlets, and protect the public health by providing updates to NABP’s Verified-Accredited Wholesale Distributors® (VAWD®) program and the newly launched Internet Drug Outlet Identification™ program.

• Eleni Z. Anagnostiadis, RPh, Associate Executive Director, NABP
• Melissa A. Madigan, PharmD, JD, Policy and Communications Senior Manager, NABP
  Collaborative Efforts for Tomorrow: NABP’s Verified-Accredited Wholesale Distributors (VAWD) Program

Behind-the-Counter Class of Drugs: Is the Time Right?

BTC Class in Canada

Representatives from the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities will describe the Association’s experiences with a behind-the-counter class of drugs in Canada.

• Carole Bouchard, BPharm, MAP, Executive Director, National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA)
  BTC Drug Class in Canada
• Barbara Wells, RPh, DPh, Founder and Consultant, B.A. Wells Healthcare Consulting Inc
  BTC Drug Class in Canada Part II

Federal and State Law Issues

An expert will discuss how the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act will have to be amended to allow for a behind-the-counter class of drugs and how state pharmacy practice laws and regulations may affect the dispensing of behind-the-counter medications.

• Frederick H. Branding, RPh, JD, Partner, Reed Smith
  A Middle Class in the United States? Behind the Counter (BTC) Drugs

BTC Point-Counterpoint

Participants will be provided with proponents’ and opponents’ viewpoints and debate from various entities about the benefits and risks of creating a third, behind-the-counter, class of drugs.

• Harry P. Hagel, MS, RPh, Senior Vice President of Government and Professional Affairs, American Pharmacists Association
  Behind-The-Counter Availability of Certain Drugs
• David C. Spangler, AB, JD, Senior Vice President, Policy and International Affairs, Consumer Healthcare Products Association
  Behind-the-Counter: Point-Counterpoint
• Joseph W. Cranston, PhD, Director, Division of Science, Research, and Technology, American Medical Association
  Behind-the-Counter Class of Drugs in the United States
• Sidney M. Wolfe, MD, Director, Health Research Group, Public Citizen
  Behind-the-Counter Class of Drugs