Health Advisory Council Newsletter | 2017 Q4
Welcome to the Q4 issue of the Health Advisory Council Newsletter. This quarter, NCL and Council Members have been active on many fronts. Please see our policy updates, new Q&A’s with Pfizer and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Member updates, and more.
Let’s keep the conversation going in 2018!
We hope you will renew your Health Advisory Council membership for 2018 as NCL continues to convene diverse members of the healthcare community to share perspectives and insights, identify common interests, and support NCL’s work in health-related consumer education and advocacy. Thanks to your support in 2017, we were able to work and advocate on a variety of important health issues. We look forward to continuing the conversation with you and others in 2018!
ICYMI: Meeting with special guest FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb
On December 6, 2017 NCL hosted its end-of-year Health Advisory Council meeting and holiday reception featuring a fireside chat with NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg and FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. Topics of discussion included making the FDA product review cycle more efficient; preserving the balance between innovation and competition struck by the Hatch-Waxman Act; FDA’s actions to combat counterfeit drugs; steps FDA can take to encourage the development of drugs for Alzheimer’s and other diseases that currently have no treatments; and how Commissioner Gottlieb’s experience as a cancer patient influenced him as a policymaker and a physician. In addition to the discussion with the Commissioner, the meeting also included a report on NCL’s health programs and activities, as well as the opportunity for Members to network with each other and share updates on their initiatives and priorities.
NCL health policy at work
Counterfeit drugs
NCL is pleased to announce our Counterfeit Drugs Consumer Education Project that we plan to launch in 2018. Working together, NCL’s Health and Fraud teams will develop consumer education content to be housed at NCL’s Fraud.org. The content will focus on the following elements:
- Examining the threat and sharing real life situations related to the online purchase of unsafe counterfeit medications;
- Redirecting consumers to safe purchasing websites;
- Educating consumers on smart purchasing practices and highlighting opportunities for cost savings, including practical tools, tips, and websites; and
- Providing a channel for consumers to access enforcement bodies such as the FDA, MedWatch, and other appropriate resources, in order for them to report their personal medication concern to the proper authorities.
NCL expresses its appreciation to Eli Lilly for its initial grant as the first founding member in support of this project, and is looking for additional partners. Please contact NCL’s Senior Director of Development Lee Granados at leeg@nclnet.org about how your organization can join this resource-rich platform to educate consumers on making smart decisions.
Click here for more NCL health policy updates.
Member spotlight
Get to know Health Advisory Council Members – Pfizer and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists – with new Q&A’s.
Updates on Member programs
Get the latest updates on programs, policy, and initiatives from our Members, including Astellas, Duke University, USP, and many more.
We want to hear from you!
If you have time-sensitive information and updates you’d like to share with the Health Advisory Council in between NCL’s quarterly newsletters, please contact Karin Bolte (karinb@nclnet.org) or Janay Johnson (janayj@nclnet.org), and we will be happy to forward your materials to the Council membership. We also encourage you to contact us with your ideas and suggestions for Council activities.
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National Consumers League
Published December 19, 2017
