What next?

As I finish putting together my end-of-year report, I can't help but reflect on how much I really wanted to do this year, but didn't accomplish. I had high hopes, but this was more challenging than I thought it would be. In this new year, pharmaceutical issues will still make headlines and are still a costly part of health care budgets. Here's what I've been tracking:

Bulk purchasing
S.18 Meeting Our Responsibility to Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2005
Latest Major Action: 1/24/2005 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

H.R.5064 Title: To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the MA Regional Plan Stabilization Fund and to extend health status adjustment.
Latest Major Action: 4/19/2006 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Chairman

Post-marketing surveillance
S.3807
Title: A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to improve drug safety and oversight, and for other purposes.
Latest Major Action: 11/16/2006 Senate committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Hearings held

Open patents for essential medicines
S.4040 Public Research in the Public Interest Act of 2006
Title: A bill to ensure that innovations developed at federally-funded institutions are available in certain developing countries at the lowest possible cost.
Latest Major Action: 9/29/2006 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

Of course there was National PharmFree Day activity as well. MedEd PharmFree Coordinator Justin and I hope to unveil a database of US academic medical centers' pharmaceutical policies soon, thanks to the help of an AMSA intern. Congrats to the newest member of the AMCs that have gone PharmFree, UC-Davis.

Here's hoping to continue AMSA's involvement in promoting and ensuring access to safe, effective drugs!