Content about Senate

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Senate voted overwhelmingly to confirm a former Virginia Health and Human Services secretary as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Members of the Senate voted 91-7 in favor of confirming Marilyn Tavenner to lead CMS, drawing praise from a retail pharmacy trade group.

WASHINGTON — The Council for Responsible Nutrition and the Natural Products Association on Wednesday announced they have met with the entire freshman class of the 113th Congress, including 83 offices in the House of Representatives and 14 offices in the Senate, as part of their educational efforts to ensure that newly elected members of Congress have accurate information about dietary supplements and their role in good health. 

WASHINGTON — The Marketplace Fairness Act is one step closer to passing. The Senate voted 63-30 Thursday to end debate on the bill, which would compel online retailers to collect state taxes, and will make a final decision on the bill on May 6. 

WASHINGTON — Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia has signed into law the first bill that could limit the reach of follow-on biologics, though the bill includes a two-year sunset clause, meaning it will expire in 2015.

McDonnell signed House bill 1422 and the identical Senate bill 1285, which would prevent a pharmacist from dispensing a biosimilar to substitute for the original, branded biologic if the prescriber indicated that substitution was not allowed or if the patient insisted on receiving the branded product.

WASHINGTON — Amid a tide of automatic spending cuts resulting from the failure of Congress and the White House to agree on a budget, the generic drug lobby has offered some suggestions to generate savings.

NEW YORK — A state Senate committee in Tennessee is looking into the possibility of allowing supermarkets to sell wine, according to published reports.

The Memphis, Tenn., Commercial Appeal reported that the proposed law would be subject to approval in local referendums.

Supporters of the bill cited convenience, while opponents — including liquor store owners — said it would be detrimental to public health, safety and the economy, criticizing the legislation as driven by "big national chains" and harmful to locally owned businesses.

When considering new, stiffer regulations governing the compounding of medicines in the wake of the meningitis outbreak, tread carefully and don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.

That’s the message chain pharmacy had for Congress as lawmakers mull new restrictions on drug compounding by pharmacists.

NEW YORK — Americans woke up Wednesday morning to the news that Barack Obama had won a second term as president of the United States. Some people may be happy about that, others unhappy and others neutral — but win or lose, the results of Tuesday's election affect everyone, including those in the retail pharmacy industry.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has announced that it will participate in the annual U.S. Senate Health Fair, which will take place on Oct. 11 to 12 in the U.S. Senate Office complex on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.  

The U.S. Senate Health Fair will offer thousands of Senate employees — including Hill staffers, Capitol Hill Police officers and other employees — an opportunity to receive healthcare advice and care, highlighting the essential role community pharmacy plays in the healthcare delivery system.  

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — In a statement issued on Monday, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores applauded the U.S. Senate for its passage of the “Strengthening and Focusing Enforcement to Deter Organized Stealing and Enhance Safety Act of 2012,” also known as the “Safe Doses Act” (H.R. 4223 and S. 1002).  

The bill passed unanimously in the Senate on Sept. 22, and previously passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on June 26.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores urged House and Senate leaders to support bipartisan legislation that would level the playing field between brick-and-mortar retail businesses — including community pharmacies — and Internet and other remote sellers. The legislation also would give states the ability potentially to collect millions of dollars in sales tax annually.

Health reform will stand. So what’s next for the pharmacy technician?