Content about Washington

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Monday passed the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would enable states to collect sales tax on online transactions, to widespread applause from big-box retail. If passed the act would remove the up-to 7% price advantage out-of-state online retailers have over brick-and-click or brick-and-mortar retailers operating and collecting sales taxes within the state. (For a comprehensive list of state sales taxes, click here.) 

WASHINGTON — The retail industry added nearly 30,000 jobs last month amid a general uptick in hiring that brought unemployment down to 7.5%, according to the Department of Labor.

The department's monthly jobs report showed the economy added 165,000 jobs, including 29,000 in the retail industry, which accounts for the largest number of private sector jobs. In addition, the March jobs report, which initially showed that the economy added only 88,000 jobs, was revised upward to 138,000, while the February report was revised upward to 332,000.

WASHINGTON — The National Alliance for Hispanic Health on Thursday announced a partnership with the Acetaminophen Awareness Coalition to increase awareness among Spanish-speaking consumers for the importance of safe use of medicines that contain acetaminophen. Many Hispanic consumers are not aware of any health risks associated with taking too much acetaminophen and do not check to see if their medicines contain acetaminophen, a drug ingredient in more than 600 over-the-counter and prescription medicines, according to Community Panel Discussions recently conducted by the Alliance.

WASHINGTON — A recently released report that analyzed and measured the level of metals in 32 lip products does not provide any “new meaningful information” and the traces of metals found were not “unexpected given their natural presence in air, soil and water,” according to a statement issued Thursday by the Personal Care Products Council.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Wednesday will celebrate the official opening of its latest flagship store, located at School and Washington streets in Boston, the company announced Tuesday. 

WASHINGTON — More than 1.3 million emergency room visits in 2010 were related to abuse of prescription drugs, and the problem has become widespread enough that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classifies it as an epidemic. In response, curbing abuse of prescription drugs has become a cornerstone of the Obama administration's drug policy.

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 — The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health heard testimony on Thursday morning from representatives of the Food and Drug Administration and several industry trade groups following the introduction of draft legislation that sponsors said would strengthen the country's pharmaceutical supply chain.

WASHINGTON — Hundreds of community pharmacy executives, pharmacy students and other pharmacy advocates representing 41,000 chain pharmacies took to Capitol Hill from March 13 to 14 for the 5th Annual NACDS RxImpact Day and conducted more than 400 meetings with U.S. senators and representatives. In support of the event, DSN published the third edition of its special RxImpact supplement.

WASHINGTON — A report released yesterday by the Bipartisan Policy Center, entitled “A Bipartisan Rx for Patient-Centered Care and System-Wide Cost Containment,” contains a smart, forward-looking and no-cost recommendation that could save the government billions, the Generic Pharmaceutical Association said today.

WASHINGTON — Food and Drug Administration commissioner Margaret Hamburg faced strong criticism Tuesday in a hearing before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to investigate the nationwide outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy, but she conceded the agency could have done more.