WATCH LIVE SENATE WEBCAST THIS MORNING 9:30 EASTERN: Nomination Hearing of Alex Azar to Serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services

The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) will hold a  hearing this morning in the 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building for the nomination of Alex Azar to serve as Secretary of Health & Human Services (HHS)

You can watch the hearing live at 9:30 Eastern time by clicking here.

The International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists (IACP), working with the DQSA Coalition, has formally submitted questions for this hearing and will be monitoring this morning's proceedings. Since passage of the Drug Quality Security Act in 2013, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has implemented and enforced the law in a manner inconsistent with clear congressional intent expressed during passage of the bill, ignored stakeholder input from dozens of pharmacy and prescriber groups, as well as multiple congressional letters and clear directives in the report accompanying the agency's FY16 appropriations legislation. 

IACP and the DQSA Coalition want to ensure that new HHS leadership is familiar with our concerns and aware of how FDA's actions in not implementing DQSA as Congress intended continue to affect patients' well-being and access to the pharmacy compounded medications upon which they rely.

Question Excerpt: "If confirmed, can you assure this committee that under your leadership as Secretary of Health and Human Services, the FDA will take a fresh look at their interpretation of the DQSA to assure that any regulations or guidance documents issued or related enforcement actions undertaken against pharmacies are actually consistent with the DQSA as written and in a way that better balances public safety with patient access to critical medications?"  

IACP will keep our members updated on this morning's hearing. Please email iacpinfo@iacprx.org with any questions!
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