.

• Legislative News
• 03/04/09 Oppose SB 445: Revise laws on dispensing prescription drugs
• 03/03/09 Obama + Sebelius = Drug Importation by Adam Fein
• 03/03/09 Montanans Contacting Legislators in Greater Numbers
• 03/03/09 Stimulus Law Contains Community Pharmacy Provisions
• 03/03/09 State Auditor Monica Lindeen alerts Montanans to new scam targeting the State
• 03/02/09 National Health Information Network begins test data exchange
• 02/26/09 MPA State LegislativeTransmittal Report from MPA
• 02/25/09 HR 1204 Negotiation Bill "To ensure and foster continued patient safety and quality of care by making the antitrust laws apply to negotiations between groups of independent pharmacies and health plans and health insurance issuers (including health plans under parts C and D of the Medicare Program) in the same manner as such laws apply to protected activities under the National Labor Relations Act."
• 02/21/09 AMP legal action Postponed until May 15,2009
• 02/21/09 Obama now focusing on health care, cutting deficit
• 02/20/09 JAMA Highlights How to Improve US Healthcare
• 02/17/09 APhA Legislative Summary
• 02/16/09 Obama to Lift Ban on Stem Cell Research Soon: Aide
• 02/05/09 Obama lifts restrictions on kids' health coverage
• 02/01/09 Prescription Monitoring Program FAQ, and Contacts HB 267
• 01/21/09 HR 616: To amend part B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for an exemption of pharmacies and pharmacists from certain Medicare accreditation requirements in the same manner as such exemption applies to certain professionals. HR 616 Bill Text.
• 11/14/08 Drugmaker ads to target Obama idea Lobbyist readies for prescription price fight.
• 11/13/08 Baucus wants Overhaul of Healthcare in '09.
• 11/09/08 Information for Pharmacists About the Proposed Prescription Monitoring Program in Montana
• 7/15/08 We're Saved! Presidents veto of HR 6331 has been overridden by Congress!
• 7/10/08 HR 6331 passed Senate today and goes to President for Signature
• 6/20/08 HR 6331 (very similar to Baucus's Physician bill S.3101)
• 6/5/08 Letters to Baucus and Tester on FDA regulation of compounding and CMS's decision. Feel free to support our compounding pharmacies and use these Word docs to write Baucus.doc and Tester.doc. (E-mailing is preferred: please use Rep Contacts)
• 6/5/08 Impact of AMP on states: reported by PriceWaterhouseCooper
• 6/4/08 PBM Settles Rebate Scheme Charges With States by:NCPA
• 5/27/08 Joint OPPOSITION to HR5839 the "Safeguarding America's Pharmaceutical Act of 2008" by NCPA, NACDS, and FMI.
• 05/20/08 Roll Call Newpaper add entitled "You're Getting Screwed" by NCPA...must read.
• 4/17/08 Representative Buyer [IN] H.R.5839 "Safeguarding America’s Pharmaceuticals Act of 2008"
• 4/10/08 Representative Heather Wilson's [NM] H.R.5780, the `Medicare Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner Services Coverage Act of 2008'

• Pharmacy News
• 03/02/09 New Guidelines Recommend 5-Alpha Reductase Inhibitors for Preventing Prostate Cancer CME
• 02/28/09 House Bill Expected on F.D.A. Control of Tobacco
• 02/26/09 Who Will Pay for Prescription Drugs?
• 02/25/09 Atypical Antipsychotic Drugs and Diabetes Mellitus in the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Database: A Systematic Bayesian Signal Detection Analysis
• 02/12/09 Vaccine Court Rejects Autism Claims
• 02/06/09 E-Prescribing Measure Will Cut Costs
• 01/30/09 FDA panel recommends ban on the painkiller Darvon
• 01/13/09 Antipsychotics Increase Mortality Over Long Term in Alzheimer's Patients: DART-AD
• 11/12/08 CVS Escalates the Generic Price Ware by Adam Fein.
• 11/10/08 Extortionists Target Major Pharmacy Processor
  
• 11/10/08 Secret, double life of a Walgreens druggist
• 11/10/08 New Immunization Resource Center
• 11/10/08 CMS Extends Electronic Prescribing Exemption for Computer Generated Faxes
  
• 11/09/08 "New Law Regulates Internet Drug Sales"
• 11/09/08 Information for Pharmacists About the Proposed Prescription Monitoring Program in Montana
• 11/09/08 FDA adverse reaction phone number guidance for new deadline of July 1, 2009.
• 11/09/08 Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Program deadline January 1, 2009. Plus PAAS guidance and program.
• 11/03/08 "Get Ready for Part D Reform" by Adam Fein.
• 09/03/08 (MT Medicaid) Tamper-Resistant Rx Pad Update: Three Features Required October 1
• 09/02/08 (MT Medicaid) Introducing SmartPA® ...visit Medicaids Provider Page for more SmartPA updates.
• Vytorin News:
  • 09/03/08 FDA investigates a report from the SEAS trial
  • 090/2/08 Doctors say Vytorin-cancer link can't be ruled out
  • 09/02/08 Vytorin debate heats up ESC
  • 09/02/08 NY Times: Evidence Gap
  • 07/22/08 More Bad News for Merck, Shering
  • 07/21/08 Results from the SEAS study
  • 07/18/08 Making Sense of Vytorin Concerns, an FDA Consumer Health Information release.
• 09/01/08 American Lung Association Study Finds No Evidence of Depression or Suicide Linked to Asthma and Allergy Drug Montelukast
• 09/01/08 Omega 3-may cut admissions for heart failure.
• 08/29/08 Antipsychotic Drugs Boost Stroke Risk: Washington Post
• 08/19/08 IRS Flex Spending Account (FSA) Debit Card Regulations - Effective Jan. 1, 2009 (NCPA)
• 07/18/08 E-prescribing on Federal Register for Controlled Substances(Written comments must be
  postmarked, and electronic comments
  must be sent, on or before September 25, 2008).
• 07/18/08 December Hearing in Proposed First DataBank AWP Settlement (NCPA)
• 07/18/08 Making Sense of Vytorin Concerns, an FDA Consumer Health Information release.
• 07/17/08 CHIP joins pharmacies to help get health insurance
• 07/09/08 Comments Requested: CMS Proposed Changes to Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Programs
• 07/09/08 FDA Requests Boxed Warnings on Fluoroquinolone Antimicrobial DrugsSeeks to Strengthen Warnings Concerning Increased Risk of Tendinitis and Tendon Rupt
• 07/09/08 FDA Revises Process for Responding to Drug Applications
• 02/20/08 CMS DID NOT appeal NCPA/ NACDS Federal Court injunction
• 02/04/08 President Bush's 2009 Fiscal Budget calls for another huge cut in reimbursement to pharmacy.
• 1/11/08 New OIG Report full document...thanks to Tobey Schule for sharing this will us!
• 12/19/07 Royce C. Lamberth, United States District Judge, signed Court Orders to POSTPONE AMP as well as to POSTPONE posting of AMP on a public website.
• 12/15/07 NACDS's News Release on NCPA/ NACDS's lawsuit hearing.
• 12/12/07 Response from Denny Rehberg on CMS.
• 12/11/07 Message from Peter Wolfgram, RPh on update from trip to Washington, DC.
• 12/04/07 "Gone to the Hill"...NCPA sends Tobey Schule, Peter Wolfgram, and Gina McCarthy to Washington, DC in regards to AMP.
• 11/24/07 NCPA/NACDS vs CMS Preliminary Injunction and Request for an Expedited Hearing.
• 11/24/07 Lawsuit FAQ: NCPA/NACDS vs CMS
• 11/11/07 S.2161 "Community Pharmacy Fairness Act of 2007" (a companion bill to H.R. 971).
• 11/11/07 H.R.971 (Negotiations Bill)
• 11/11/07 H.R. 1474 "Fair and Speedy Treatment (FAST) of Medicare Prescription Drug Claims Act of 2007" has a whopping 229 co-sponsors.
• 10/28/07 H.R.3700 (a companion bill to Baucus's S.1951), we need to act now before Congress goes home. please read more here.
• 9/24/07 Senator Tester co-sponsored Baucus's S.1951and S.1954. Letter
• 8/16/07 encourging co-sponsoring of 2 Senate bills by Senator Tester as wells as 2 House bills by Congressman Rehberg. Read more.
• 8/2/07 Senator Max Baucus introduced two bills S.1951 and S.1954. Read more.
• 7/11/07 CMS final ruling on AMP is devastating to community pharmacies. Read more.