MD DISPENSING BILL IS LIKELY TO BE DEFERRED FOR MEASURES WITH MORE SENATE INTEREST

Executive Summary

MD DISPENSING BILL IS LIKELY TO BE DEFERRED FOR MEASURES WITH MORE SENATE INTEREST, House Commerce/Health Subcommittee Counsel William Corr indicated at a June 24 session of the midyear meeting of the National Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers. Although the legislation (HR 2168) has passed the Health Subcommittee and the full Energy & Commerce Committee, Corr expressed doubts about the bill's future. "It was very controversial in our committee," he noted. "It did pass the committee, [but] I think it probably has seen its end." It is still unclear whether the bill will be considered on the House floor, Corr maintained. Further, the bill has yet to be introduced in the Senate. [The Senate International Trade Subcommittee, chaired by Sen. Matsunaga (D-Hawaii) declined to address MD dispensing during its recent hearings on drug diversion legislation.] "There's a lot [of legislative activity] we've been working on these days, so it's yet to be seen as to whether that legislation gets to the House floor," he said.