Heidi Alexander: “I rise today to speak about the Drug Quality and Security Act and also to thank the members and staff who have worked…”

“I rise today to speak about the Drug Quality and Security Act and also to thank the members and staff who have worked with us to reach an agreement and pass this bill. The legislation addresses the current ambiguity around the regulation of compounding pharmacies, one of which is tied to more than 60 deaths. It also establishes a workable system to get to unit level tracing of the nearly 4 billion prescriptions filled a year in the U.S. within a decade. In addition to bipartisan support in Congress, the bill enjoys broad support from the biomedical industry, patient groups, consumer groups, and other stakeholders. Over a year ago, staff began to work on identifying the cause and possible solutions to help prevent another meningitis outbreak. A group of staff from Republican and Democratic offices on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee began a series of standing meetings and proceeded to meet every week for several months. They met with stakeholders and discussed policy solutions that each member thought would solve the problem. After much discussion of the benefits, costs, and possible unintended consequences, members agreed to a list of policy concepts. That bill, S. 959, is a strong bill, and was voted out of committee unanimously. While I believe our Senate bill was a stronger solution, it would not have gotten through the Chamber on the other side of the Capitol.…”