DEA Seeks Public Input as it Explores Regulating Telepharmacy
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic prompted state and federal government to shift guidance and relax policies on a wide range of telehealth services, which resulted in a boom in remote offerings for patients. However, long before this rapid transformation in telehealth, telepharmacy, an increasingly popular form of remote pharmacy care, has operated under a patchwork of state laws with […]
Read More ›How e-Prescribing Trends Impacted the Opioid Epidemic
Before DEA published an interim final rule in 2010, which gave practitioners the option to write prescriptions for controlled substances (CS) electronically, e-prescribing for CS was prohibited in many states. Now, 11 years later, the regulatory and technological landscape has shifted significantly. As part of the larger effort to curb the opioid crisis, many states […]
Read More ›Congress Holds Registries and Registrars Accountable for Rogue Online Pharmacies
As has been reported extensively over the last several months, policymakers on both sides of the aisle have been unwavering in their pursuit to hold tech companies and social media platforms accountable for building a safer internet. Until recently, their focus has predominantly been on online platforms that serve as publishers of third-party content, such […]
Read More ›Congress Takes Aim at Third-Party Platform Accountability for Counterfeits
After rampant sales of counterfeit masks, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing kits, medicines, and other goods over the past two years, there has been increased attention in Washington this holiday season on the health and safety risks of counterfeit products, particularly those sold online. Just before Black Friday, the United States Chamber of Commerce and US Customs and Border Protection launched […]
Read More ›DEA Takes Action Against Deadly Counterfeit Pills Sold Online
On September 27, 2021, for the first time in six years, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a public safety alert warning Americans of a surge in deadly counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine flooding into the United States. The last time DEA issued a similar alert was to raise awareness of a national rise in […]
Read More ›How Washington’s Response to Cyberattacks Impacts the Health Care Sector
Cyberattacks targeting the nation’s critical infrastructure have become increasingly prevalent over the last few years, but, during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, attacks across all sectors have rapidly accelerated. Greater emphasis on remote work and business operations have created the “perfect storm” for cybercriminals to exploit security flaws within many organizations, especially the health […]
Read More ›Truths and Misconceptions About FDA’s Compounding MOU
Earlier this month, FDA announced it will provide states one more year to decide whether to sign its compounding memorandum of understanding (MOU) before the agency begins enforcing the statutory 5% limit on out-of-state distribution of compounded human drug products. This comes after many states asked for more time to wrangle with the legal and […]
Read More ›The Future of Telehealth and the Ryan Haight Act Post-Pandemic
A year into the pandemic, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has radically changed our health care system from the pace at which new drugs come to market to how patients access health care and medications. Arguably one of the most dramatic shifts has been the major increase in telehealth usage and the expansion of services […]
Read More ›NABP, FDA Collaborate to Improve Compounding Pharmacy Oversight
In 2012, many of the people who received contaminated steroid injections produced at the New England Compounding Center had already been suffering from chronic pain. The compounded drugs were supposed to provide relief. Instead, they infected these patients with fungal meningitis, killing 64 and sickening 753. The tragedy was a wakeup call for regulators, […]
Read More ›Access to Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder Is Limited by Unnecessary Regulations
Across the country, officials are reporting spikes in drug overdoses as the opioid epidemic is exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period – 81,000 people. Access to opioid use disorder treatment could help save the lives […]
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