ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 1 Yesterday Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) signed into law SB 1307, which revised the e-pedigree track and trace technology requirements for prescription drugs. Included in the law is a provision that pushes back the deadline for compliance for California pharmacies from Jan. 1, 2011 to Jan. 1, 2017. In response, Bruce T. Roberts, RPh, National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) executive vice president and CEO, issued the following statement.
Advertisement
"Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law SB 1307, a common-sense bill delaying the implementation of e-pedigree, which gives California's approximately 2,200 independent community pharmacies who are at the end of the distribution process a new deadline that is one year later than for manufacturers and distributors. Everyone supports the goal of using the still developing track and trace technology designed to limit the fraud and abuse of prescription drugs, but the previous deadline of 2011 was a logistical and financial nightmare for all of the affected parties. We believe the delay allows those concerns to be addressed. This will ensure patients access to prescription drugs, while maintaining a more secure distribution system."
Advertisement
The decision reflects the recommendation for phased-in implementation that Dave Wilcox, RPh, owner of Northwest Medical Pharmacy in Fresno, Calif., offered in his testimony on behalf of NCPA before the Enforcement Committee of the California State Board of Pharmacy at their e-pedigree hearing on Dec. 5, 2007. Wilcox pointed out that community pharmacies need extra implementation time because the technologies are largely dictated to them by choices made by manufacturers and distributors. (To view his entire testimony, go to this link:
http://www.ncpanet.org/pdf/leg/testimony-pedigreewilcox20071204.pdf)
The National Community Pharmacists Association, founded in 1898, represents the nation's community pharmacists, including the owners of more than 23,000 pharmacies. The nation's independent pharmacies, independent pharmacy franchises, and independent chains dispense nearly half of the nation's retail prescription medicines. To learn more go to www.ncpanet.org.
SOURCE National Community Pharmacists Association
