Pharmacy safety bill will protect consumers, NACDS tells Congress

A bill that would create a public registry of law-abiding pharmacy websites would help consumers protect themselves against the growing threat of illegitimate drug sellers, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) told Congress.

The NACDS recently sent a letter supporting the bill to its sponsors in the House, U.S. representatives Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Mike Ross (D-Ark.), urging that Congress pass the legislation.

The bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to create the public registry for consumer use.

“Your legislation takes important steps to protect the American public from unscrupulous internet drug sellers that prey on unsuspecting Americans by posing as legitimate pharmacies and deceptively selling counterfeit, adulterated, or misbranded medicines,” Steven C. Anderson, president and CEO of NACDS, wrote in the letter.

According to NACDS, research shows that approximately 17% of Americans – around 36 million consumers – have purchased prescription medications online without a valid prescription. In addition, 96% of the prescription drug websites that U.S. consumers encounter are illegitimate.

“As Congress continues to debate issues related to prescription drug safety, distribution, and access, we believe that the [legislation] should be an integral part of that discussion, and that its enactment should be a top priority,” Anderson wrote.