HHS Declares Swine Flu a Public Health Emergency
Washington, DC — The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a nationwide public health emergency declaration in response to recent human infections with newly discovered Swine Influenza A virus, commonly known as swine flu. As of this news brief, there have been a total of 68 confirmed cases of Swine Influenza A in the United States. Additional cases have been confirmed in Mexico and Canada. The number is expected to rise as more people are exposed to the virus. Swine flu is a respiratory disease caused by type A influenza viruses that regularly leads to outbreaks of influenza among pigs. Although swine flu viruses normally do not infect humans, the HHS reported that cases of human-to-human spread of swine flu viruses have been recently documented. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found through laboratory testing that Swine Influenza A virus is susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir (Tamiflu, Roche) and zanamivir (Relenza, GlaxoSmithKline) and has issued interim guidance for the use of these drugs to treat and prevent infection with swine flu viruses. The public health emergency declaration is available here.

NACDS Exec Promotes the Importance of Pharmacy
Palm Beach, FL — National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) President and CEO Steven C. Anderson said that the types of fights his association finds itself in signify substantial progress for pharmacy, particularly in the political arena. He made his comments before a room full of pharmacy-industry executives and representatives attending the NACDS Annual Meeting. "The days of pharmacy's perception as an easy target are over. Much like playground politics, we have shown that, if pushed, we will stand up tall." His optimism, however, was tempered by his admittance that difficult times still lie ahead, citing state budget pressures that threaten all health care providers and "privacy provisions" that had been proposed as part of the health information technology section of the economic stimulus bill enacted earlier this year. His disputed critics claim that pharmacies routinely sell protected health information that identifies specific patients. "That is not true...and NACDS had to do even more to set the record straight." He praised the professionalism of chain pharmacists, referring to them as "ideal ambassadors for mutual issues of importance, which directly affect the well-being of patients and the entire health care system."

NCPA Puts Forward Recommendations for Health Care Reform
Alexandria, VA — Recognizing the upcoming debate within the legislative and executive branches of the federal government, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) has formulated a series of recommendations to ensure that patient-care services of community pharmacies are properly incorporated into any changes that may be made. The NCPA's recommendations center around three key areas: reforming the health care system, improving the quality of care, and enhancing prevention and public health. Included in the statement are various recommendations to incorporate pharmacy services into "standard benefits"; create a mechanism to federally regulate pharmacy benefit managers; use validated outcomes-based pharmacy measures to enhance medication use, including the expansion of medication therapy management programs under Medicare Part D; and enhance the pharmacist's role in immunization, disease prevention, and wellness programs.

NACDS and FMI File Motion to Prevent AWP Reductions
Alexandria, VA — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) filed a motion seeking a stay in federal district court in Massachusetts after the release of the final judgment in the First DataBank and Medi-Span lawsuit. The motion asks the district court to stop implementation of the approved average wholesale price (AWP) reductions that would cut pharmacy reimbursement dramatically. In March, Judge Patti B. Saris of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled to reduce the AWPs used to set pharmacy reimbursement rates to 120% of wholesale acquisition cost for 1,442 designated drug products, effective September 26, 2009. First DataBank and Medi-Span will stop publishing AWPs, which currently are used as a prescription-drug pricing benchmark. NACDS and FMI estimate that the reductions will cut Medicaid reimbursements by about $68 million each year. In addition, pharmacies that cannot renegotiate their private-sector reimbursement contracts will face a net 4% reduction in AWP-based reimbursements.