In the United States today, the great majority of all pharmaceuticals are distributed through healthcare distributors. Pharmaceutical distributors are a vital part of the system that is charged with ensuring product integrity and this is a responsibility that HDMA members take very seriously. If these drugs are not properly stored, handled, and accounted for throughout the healthcare distribution system, the results can be troublesome at best, devastating at worst.

Congress recognized this when it passed the Prescription Drug Marketing Act (PDMA) in 1988. PDMA was the result of congressional investigations, led by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, that found that, “A significant volume of pharmaceuticals are being imported…These goods present a health and safety risk to American consumers because they may have become subpotent or adulterated during foreign handling and shipping.”

It is with these thoughts in mind that HDMA is opposed to permitting the importation of pharmaceuticals. Importation, whether restricted to just Canada or not, significantly increases the likelihood of counterfeit or adulterated drugs entering the U.S. market and reaching our medicine cabinets.



Contact
Joseph Trauger
Senor Director, Federal Government Affairs
703-885-0235
jtrauger@hdmanet.org

Kristen Freitas
Associate Director, Federal Government Affairs
703-885-0232
kfreitas@hdmanet.org