Drug Diversion May Start at the Local Pharmacy Counter ... But it Can End There, Too

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Pharmaceutical Care Management Association

Mar 01, 2012, 09:48 ET

PCMA Launches New Ad Campaign on Drug Diversion

WASHINGTON, March 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has declared prescription drug abuse a national epidemic, killing nearly as many people as car accidents. Drug diversion is a big part of the problem.

Today, as the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade holds a hearing – "Prescription Drug Diversion: Combating the Scourge" – on this issue, pharmacists should be asked the following questions about dispensing certain narcotics:

Should pharmacies check law enforcement databases to stop "pharmacy shopping" for narcotics?
Why is the drugstore lobby trying to limit pharmacy fraud and abuse enforcement?
Does the drugstore lobby really need new tax incentives to comply with their own code of ethics?
Should pharmacies alert law enforcement when unfamiliar customers pay cash at the counter for narcotics?

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) also launched a new ad campaign to highlight these key drug diversion questions. Click here to view the new ad.

PCMA represents the nation's pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which improve affordability and quality of care through the use of electronic prescribing (e-prescribing), generic alternatives, mail-service pharmacies, and other innovative tools for 216 million Americans.

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SOURCE Pharmaceutical Care Management Association