UPhA President's Message December 2015

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.  This is a great time of the year to celebrate with family, friends and co-workers. Thank you for the opportunity to serve this last year as the President of UPhA.    It has been a pleasure to get to know many of you at the conventions and at our board meetings.  I want to thank Adam Jones, our executive director, and all of the staff at Association Solutions for the hard work and professionalism they have brought to UPhA. 

The UPhA board, along with our lobbyist Wayne Jones, is working hard to represent your voice on Capitol Hill.  There are several bills coming up in the next session that we are following closely, including a medical marijuana bill being sponsored by Senator Vickers.  Check the UPhA website for updates and details on these bills.  I encourage you to get involved, get to know your state representatives, and let them know how you feel about the issues that affect you and your livelihood.  Pharmacy Day on Capitol Hill will be on Thursday, February 25, 2016.  Put the date on your calendar and plan to attend, even if you can only stay for an hour.  There is power in numbers and we need to demonstrate the importance of our profession to our legislators. 

Our annual convention in St. George is scheduled for April 14^th through the 16^th.  Please come and enjoy great education, entertainment, and networking with your friends and colleagues.

Thanks again for your support.  As we work together, we can make a difference in this great profession.

Mike Chamberlain

Revised Dispenser Compliance Policy - Extended to March 1, 2016

The Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) required dispensers, which primarily include pharmacies, to comply with new requirements related to product tracing beginning July 1, 2015. 

 

FDA has issued a guidance, DSCSA Implementation: Product Tracing Requirements for Dispensers–Compliance Policy (Revised), announcing that it is extending a previously issued Compliance Policy from November 1, 2015 to March 1, 2016 because some dispensers – primarily smaller, independent pharmacies and health systems – have expressed that they need additional time.  

 

FDA previously published a Compliance Policy on July 6, 2015. It stated FDA did not intend to take action until November 1, 2015, against dispensers that accepted ownership of product without receiving the product tracing information or who did not capture and maintain the product tracing information as required by the law. 

 

Please check http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/DrugIntegrityandSupplyChainSecurity/DrugSupplyChainSecurityAct/default.htm for the latest activities on the DSCSA.