February 22, 2018
ARLINGTON, Va. — In a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Acting Administrator Robert Patterson, Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) President and CEO John M. Gray called for a “universal” database to support enhanced monitoring of suspicious orders of controlled substances, including controlled opioid drugs. While the DEA has indicated that it currently is developing a suspicious orders database for its own use, HDA’s latest letter calls for the agency to share this data, and DEA’s advanced analytical tools, with state regulators and state/local law enforcement officials to improve information sharing and coordination.
The Alliance also reiterated its request for the agency to publish a long-awaited proposed rule on suspicious orders monitoring to provide industry and state regulatory bodies clarity as they work to mitigate prescription drug abuse.
HDA has long advocated for increased transparency from the DEA related to the flow of controlled substances in the market. Key highlights from the letter to acting DEA Acting Administrator Patterson are included below:
HDA members continue to do their part to protect the integrity of the prescription drug supply chain and to ensure patients have access to safe, effective treatments. For more information on these efforts, click here.
The Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) represents primary pharmaceutical distributors — the vital link between the nation’s pharmaceutical manufacturers and pharmacies, hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics and others nationwide. Since 1876, HDA has helped members navigate regulations and innovations to get the right medicines to the right patients at the right time, safely and efficiently. The HDA Research Foundation, HDA’s non-profit charitable foundation, serves the healthcare industry by providing research and education focused on priority healthcare supply chain issues.