WASHINGTON, DC - House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) applauded today’s Senate passage of H.R. 3204, the Drug Quality and Security Act. The bill is the product of a bipartisan, bicameral agreement championed by Chairman Upton and was passed by the House of Representatives on Sept. 28, 2013. A little over a year after the deadly fungal meningitis outbreak tied to the New England Compounding Center (NECC), this legislation seeks to address two important issues affecting the quality and security of America’s drug supply. It would protect traditional pharmacies and clarify laws related to human drug compounding as well as strengthening the prescription drug supply chain in order to defend American families against counterfeit drugs and protect jobs.
“I applaud the Senate’s passage of this breakthrough bipartisan legislation and am pleased we are now just one step away from this bill being signed into law to prevent a future public health crisis like last year’s deadly fungal meningitis outbreak," said Chairman Upton. “Americans receiving medical treatments must have the peace of mind that their drugs are safe. With this bill we are fortifying the drug supply while also cutting needless regulatory red tape, creating an environment conducive to growth and job creation. To the dozens of families who have lost loved ones and to the hundreds who are still suffering today, with this bill we say ‘never again.’"
H.R. 3204 would protect traditional pharmacies and clarify laws related to human drug compounding in response to the nationwide meningitis outbreak and would strengthen the prescription drug supply chain in order to protect American families against counterfeit drugs. To date, the CDC has linked 64 deaths and 751 cases in 20 states to contaminated drugs from NECC. Upton’s home state of Michigan was the hardest hit with 19 fatalities and 264 cases.
