New track-and-trace proposal advanced to combat drug counterfeiting, gray market

Politico Pro reports on a draft legislative proposal released last week.

Politico Pro: Track And Trace Draft Could Address Drug Counterfeiting
The bipartisan track and trace draft legislation released last week would allow drugs to be authenticated throughout the supply chain, which could help combat counterfeiting as well as the so-called gray market that's been highlighted in the drug shortage crisis, Democratic staffers who worked on the draft said. The legislation would initially establish only a lot -- or batch -- level drug pedigree requirement. But it requires every bottle of pills or vial of drugs contained in a lot to be labeled with a unique identifier of its own. That can be traced back to the manufacturer lot and confirmed as authentic (Norman, 10/30).

Meanwhile, CQ HealthBeat reports that another coalition, this one made up of HIV and AIDS advocates, is urging Congress to take a balanced approach to deficit reduction efforts that would not include the automatic cuts called for as a result of the sequester.

CQ HealthBeat: Big Coalition Urges Hill Against AIDS-Related Automatic Cuts
A coalition of 118 organizations involved in the care of people with HIV and AIDS is urging congressional leaders to raise revenues as part of a "balanced approach" to deficit reduction that would prevent automatic cuts Jan. 2 under sequester provisions of the budget control law. "Sequestration cuts, scheduled to take place in just a few weeks, will reverse efforts to prevent HIV in our country and severely disrupt the system of lifesaving care and treatment that today serves over 500,000 low-income people with HIV/AIDS," the Oct. 26 letter said (Reichard, 10/30).