Association News

CHPA commends Senator Biden on legislation aimed at curbing medicine-abuse trend

CHPA issued a press release October 31 praising U.S. Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-Del.) for introducing S. 2274, the Dextromethorphan Abuse Reduction Act of 2007. This legislation, which would prevent teens under the age of 18 from purchasing cough medicines containing dextromethorphan, also provides federal funding to two key anti-drug groups that are working to educate families about the dangers of cough medicine abuse.

"CHPA commends Senator Biden and Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) for their recent congressional effort to address the problem of teens abusing medicines to get high," said CHPA President Linda A. Suydam, D.P.A. "National age restrictions and increased funding for education and outreach would complement efforts underway by CHPA and its partners to protect America's youth from the serious threat of medicine abuse and underscores the integral role that parents have in educating their children about the dangers associated with medicine abuse."

Suydam added that while national age restrictions will serve as a major step forward in reducing teen medicine abuse, education is still paramount in preventing the trend. "As the makers of over-the-counter medicines, we are spearheading several major campaigns to raise awareness of dextromethorphan abuse," she stated.

CHPA's efforts on this front include the comprehensive web site www.StopMedicineAbuse.org; English- and Spanish-language educational resources for parents and community leaders; an online campaign, www.FiveMoms.com, which geared specifically toward parental awareness; public service announcements; and web sites for both parents and teens.

"We are committed to educating and empowering parents to take responsibility and action by learning about cough medicine abuse, talking to their kids about the dangers of abusing medicines, and paying attention to the medicines in their homes," said Suydam.

The Dextromethorphan Abuse Reduction Act of 2007also is supported by the Community Anti Drug Coalitions of America, the Food Marketing Institute, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

CHPA contacts: Virginia Cox and Elizabeth Funderburk |  Back to the top


CHPA stands behind the safety and efficacy of pediatric OTC cough and cold medicines

Association reaffirms commitment on education and working with FDA to confirm effectiveness

On October 19, an FDA advisory panel―made up of members of the FDA’s Nonprescription Drugs and Pediatric advisory committees―voted on several recommendations to the agency concerning oral OTC cough and cold children’s medicines. While no official FDA action has been taken on these recommendations, CHPA issued a statement supporting some of the panel’s risk management recommendations, while calling into question the panel’s split recommendation to FDA that the active ingredients used to treat symptoms of the common cold should no longer be available for use in children under six years of age for these uses.

In the association's statement, CHPA President Linda A. Suydam, D.P.A., reiterates the fact that oral cough and cold medicines for children are—and have always been—safe when used as directed. She notes that parents and other caregivers have relied upon and trusted pediatric cough and cold medicines to relieve symptoms of the common cold in children and to provide real comfort. Both in submitted background materials and CHPA’s presentation before the advisory committee, the advisory panel was presented with data that clearly show that these medicines are very safe when used as directed, Suydam notes. “The large majority of documented adverse events in children between the ages of two to six are very rare and are attributable, in most cases, to accidental ingestion. This is an issue of safekeeping that is best addressed through education," she said.

Aside from a commitment to confirm correct dosing and working with FDA to design appropriate pediatric clinical efficacy studies, CHPA announced plans to launch a major, multi-year educational campaign to help parents and healthcare providers better understand how to safely dose children with OTC cough and cold medicines, and equally as important, when not to use them. Most recently, CHPA created an informational web site for parents (www.OTCsafety.org) that contains facts about the current environment for OTC cough and cold medicines and will serve as the future home of its educational campaigns. Additionally, print advertisements have been running nationwide providing tips for parents on safely and effectively administering medicines to their children.

CHPA contacts: Virginia Cox and Elizabeth Funderburk |  Back to the top


The 2007 Business Development Conference is a big hit

Nearly 250 CHPA members and Wal-Mart executives gathered in Bentonville, Arkansas, October 29-30, to participate in the 2007 Business Development Conference & Wal-Mart Immersion. Led by Business Development Committee Chair Randy Sloan, executive vice president, general manager, Del Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and championed by Chuck Fehlig, vice president, DMM-OTC, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the two-day meeting offered ideas and solutions for growing business through innovative techniques.  

Business Development Committee Chair Randy Sloan, executive vice president, general manager, Del Pharmaceuticals, welcomed attendees to the 2007 Business Development Conference & Wal-Mart Immersion.

Fuad Sawaya, Sawaya Segalas & Co., provided conference attendees with an overview of consolidation trends in the OTC medicine and personal care industries, and explained some of the key drivers in recent transactions.

From left: Pete Smith, Blistex, Inc.; Glenda George and Bill Spradlin
of Wal-Mart, Rick Ricca, Mark Rode, and Kannan Arumugam, of Blistex.

Perrigo Company personnel Neal Wilmore (far left) and Jim Tomshack (far right) find a moment with Wal-Mart's Chuck Fehlig.

Wal-Mart Category Manager Bill Spradlin (third from left) with representatives of Johnson & Johnson.

The networking dinner at the conference, sponsored by Del Laboratories, Novartis Consumer Health, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare, and W.F. Young, provided an excellent opportunity for CHPA members and Wal-Mart associates to become better acquainted.

CHPA Board Member Scott Emerson, The Emerson Group (left) and Scott McCall, Wal-Mart, listen intently to a dinner companion.

Wal-Mart's Paul Beahm (right) makes a point about his company's policy innovations to Blistex's Mike Donnantuono at dinner.

 
From left: CHPA Board Members Patrick Hennig, Boehringer Ingelheim;
Chris DeWolf, Lil' Drug Stores; and Jim Mackey, Schering-Plough
catch up on association business.

One of the highlights during the networking reception/dinner at the Business Development Conference was a trivia game based on Wal-Mart's corporate policies and history. Here, Wal-Mart's Todd Matherly works on answering the questions.

Wal-Mart's Chuck Fehlig posed several tie-breaking questions to the 20 trivia-game winners who displayed an impressive body of knowledge about Wal-Mart.

At the end of the day, Kim Huey-Steiner of new CHPA member company About.com, was the overall winner of the Wal-Mart trivia game. Here, Randy Sloan explains to the dinner attendees that Huey-Steiner answered all of the questions correctly.

CHPA thanks the following generous sponsors of the 2007 Business Development Conference:

CHPA contacts: Ted Peterson and Phyllis Taylor |  Back to the top


CHPA participates in Wyoming town hall meeting on medicine abuse

As part of its ongoing efforts to raise awareness about medicine abuse, CHPA participated in a town hall meeting in Cheyenne, Wyoming, October 22. The event was cosponsored by CHPA, the Wyoming Department of Health, and the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), and moderated by Bob Beck of Wyoming public radio.

Brent Sherard, M.D., M.P.H., director, Wyoming Department of Health, opened the meeting by thanking the large crowd that had assembled at the Laramie County Library Auditorium for their participation in state-wide efforts to prevent medicine abuse. He described the scope of the medicine abuse problem nationally as well as in the state of Wyoming and urged the audience to reach out to parents, educators, retailers, and law enforcement to prevent medicine abuse in their communities.

Other perspectives offered at the town hall came from a range of panelists including Kevin Kraushaar, vice president, government relations, CHPA; Diane Galloway, Ph.D., deputy director, evaluation and research, CADCA; Whitney Buckley, local pharmacist; and Darci Sprenger, mental health and substance abuse therapist, Peak Wellness Center.

During her remarks, Galloway presented details about the community toolkit, A Dose of Prevention: Stopping Medicine Abuse Before it Starts. She explained to the audience that CHPA and CADCA developed the educational toolkit earlier this year to help coalition and prevention leaders mobilize their communities and to educate key stakeholders about the dangers of OTC cough medicine abuse.

CHPA contact: Kevin Kraushaar and Elizabeth Funderburk |  Back to the top

CHPA's Annual Executive Conference returns to the nation's capital

Washington, D.C. will again serve as the host location for CHPA's Annual Executive Conference (AEC). Set for March 12-14, 2008, at the Mandarin Oriental. Members are encouraged to take advantage of the early-bird rate for this must-attend event by reserving a place today. You may register online or by downloading and completing a registration form―both options are available in the members-only section of www.chpa-info.org.

CPL sponsors AEC 's closing business session

This year’s conference features capstone speaker Sir Ken Robinson, with thanks to CHPA Active member CPL – Contract Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Sir Ken Robinson

Sir Ken Robinson is an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation, and human resources. Throughout his career, he has counseled various international governments, Fortune 500 companies, and not-for-profit organizations. He also has worked with some of the world’s leading cultural organizations including the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Ballet, and is a senior advisor to the J Paul Getty Trust. In June 2003, Robinson was knighted by Queen Elizabeth for his outstanding achievements in education and the arts.

At the AEC, Sir Ken will discuss the creative challenges facing business and education, and provide an analysis of  why people do not perform at their best during times of rapid change and what can be done about it.

Future editions of the Executive Newsletter will contain additional stories profiling what the 2008 AEC has to offer.

CHPA contact: Kass Kassouf and Maria Sarabia | Back to the top


CHPA's Five Moms web site receives accolades

The centerpiece of CHPA's Five Moms Campaign, www.FiveMoms.com, has been recognized with a Silver Award from W³ Awards in the "Best Family/Parenting" web site category. Launched in May as part of the association's larger campaign to alert parents to the dangerous trend of teens abusing cough medicine to get high (see May 18 XNL), FiveMoms.com is a place parents can go to learn how to spot the warning signs, as well as what to do if they suspect their child is abusing. The site provides parents with information about cough medicine abuse, features blog entries, and offers links to additional resources.

The W³ Awards is a well-regarded online awards program. Sanctioned by the International Academy of Visual Arts, the awards honor creative excellence on the web and recognize the creativity of the professionals behind the winning sites, videos, and marketing programs.

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CHPA on the Road

CHPA staff travel inside the Beltway and beyond

CHPA President Linda A. Suydam, D.P.A., attended the Food and Drug Law Institute's board meeting in Washington, D.C. on October 31...

Vice President, Regulatory & Scientific Affairs Heinz Schneider, Dr.Med., and Director, Technical Affairs Fred Razzaghi traveled to Yokohama, Japan, to attend the October 29-November 1 meetings of the International Conference on Harmonisation's Working Groups and Steering Committees...

A number of CHPA staff were in Bentonville, Arkansas, October 29-30, to participate in CHPA's 2007 Business Development Conference & Wal-Mart Immersion (See related story)...

Manager, Federal Government Relations Justin Neumann went to Capitol Hill October 25 to attend a hearing on organized retail theft. The hearing was conducted by the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security (See related story). Neumann also attended the November 1 U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations' hearing on FDA's Foreign Drug Inspection Program...

Director, State Government Relations Mandy Hagan participated in the Council of State Retail Associations' annual meeting October 27-30 in Williamsburg, Virginia...

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Industry News

Federal Agency Update

FDA advisory committees to discuss lovastatin and phenylephrine

FDA issued a Federal Register notice October 23 announcing that its Nonprescription Drugs and Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs advisory committees are meeting jointly December 13. FDA has scheduled the meeting so that the joint committee may evaluate data submitted by Merck & Co., Inc., to support over-the-counter use of MEVACOR (lovastatin) at 20 milligrams a day to help lower cholesterol, which may prevent a first heart attack. The meeting will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Hilton Washington, D.C. in Silver Spring, Maryland. Persons wishing to make an oral presentation at the meeting should notify FDA's Diem-Kieu Ngo by November 15. Written submissions are due by November 29.

In a separate Federal Register notice, issued October 24, FDA announced that its Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee will meet December 14 to discuss the safety and effectiveness of phenylephrine hydrochloride and phenylephrine bitartrate as over-the-counter oral nasal decongestants. According to FDA, the meeting is being held to address a citizen petition which asserts that the available data do not support the adult and pediatric doses of phenylephrine hydrochloride and phenylephrine bitartrate that are generally recognized as safe and effective in the corresponding OTC drug monograph. Requests for oral presentations should be sent to Diem-Kieu Ngo by November 22. Written submissions are due by November 30.

FDA plans to make background materials for both of the advisory committee meetings available on the agency's web site two business days prior to each meeting.

CHPA contact: Dr. Heinz Schneider and Dr. Marcia Howard |  Back to the top


On Capitol Hill

House subcommittee looks at organized retail theft

The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security held a hearing October 25 entitled "Organized Retail Theft: Fostering a Comprehensive Public-Private Response." In his opening remarks, Subcommittee Chair Robert Scott (D-Va.) pointed out that organized retail theft (ORT) accounts for $30 billion in store losses annually and that Congress must work to address this issue. 

Testifying on behalf of the retail industry were Brad Brekke, vice president, assets protection, Target Corporation; Karl Langhorst, director, loss prevention, Randall’s/Tom Thumb, a Safeway Company; and David Hill, detective, Montgomery County, Maryland Police Department. Each of the witnesses described how ORT has impacted them personally and explained the huge role the Internet plays in helping thieves to unload stolen merchandise. According to the panel, consumers who purchase stolen products, such as drugs or food products, could place themselves at risk due to potential tampering or expiration. 

Robert Chesnut, senior vice president, trust and safety for eBay, Inc., testified on the efforts eBay has made to prevent stolen products from being sold on the company's web site. Witnesses from Safeway, Target, and the Montgomery County Police Department argued that eBay and similar sites could do much more to prevent stolen products from being sold on their site. 

The hearing concluded without mention of legislation, but Chairman Scott, subcommittee members, and all of the witness were in agreement that more should be done to combat ORT.

CHPA contacts: Kevin Kraushaar and Justin Neumann | Back to the top


In Brief
Boehringer Ingelheim receives AmeriCares' "Power of Partnership" award

AmeriCares issued a press release October 25 announcing that CHPA Active member Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was presented with the organization's "Power of Partnership" award during the Healthcare Distribution Management Association's (HDMA's) Annual Leadership Forum in Phoenix, Arizona. The Power of Partnership award, created by AmeriCares and HDMA, recognizes medical manufacturing and distribution companies that demonstrate exceptional dedication to expanding access to medicines and healthcare for disadvantaged populations.

According to AmeriCares, Boehringer Ingelheim has partnered with the organization for 20 years. During that time, the company has contributed more than $100 million worth of medicines and supplies to more than 40 countries around the world, provided financial contributions to support communities in the United States, and funded a medical outreach program with a grant to provide free healthcare to the uninsured in Greater Danbury, Connecticut.

More information on AmeriCares' relief efforts is available online.

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