CBD education and advocacy
In congressional outreach, NCL signed onto a joint letter in opposition to new House legislation, HR 841, which would put consumers at further risk if enacted. The bill requires FDA to allow all hemp-derived ingredients in dietary supplements and provides no exclusions (e.g., the bill is not limited to CBD, there is no exception for THC, and no prohibition of self-determination of GRAS, or products that are generally regarded as safe, for hemp-based compounds).
During National Consumer Protection Week, the Consumers for Safe CBD campaign released a PSA featuring NCL Director of Health Policy Jeanette Contreras, who shares an important reminder with consumers about the potential dangers of CBD, or cannabidiol.
Maternal health
NCL is making strides to address the dismal state of maternal health in the United States. On April 20, NCL launched the Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance alongside 14 fellow advocates who are passionate about standing up for the needs of moms and babies, and reducing the risk of preterm birth, a leading cause of infant death in the United States. and one that disproportionately affects people of color. The Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance shares a concern about the proposed market withdrawal of 17P, the only FDA-approved class of treatments to help prevent spontaneous, recurrent preterm birth.
Collectively, the Alliance is calling for FDA to grant a public hearing to hear directly from women facing prematurity, and the providers who treat them, about their real-world experience. We are also urging FDA to review additional research methods to further study 17P—while maintaining patient access. To learn more about the issue and the Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance, visit pretermbirthalliance.org.
NCL is proud to support the Black Maternal Health Momnibus, a package of 12 bills intended to comprehensively address the maternal health crisis that disproportionately impacts Black, Indigenous, and women of color in this country. NCL applauded the resolution introduced by Representative Alma Adams, (NC-12), Representative Lauren Underwood (IL- 14), and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) designating April 11-17, 2021 as national Black Maternal Health Week. NCL also applauded a provision within the American Rescue Plan that allows states to extend Medicaid coverage to women for up to one year after childbirth. This provision to expand postpartum care is vital to improving maternal health outcomes for our most vulnerable moms.
Women’s health
NCL maintains its commitment to advocating for increased access to contraception. In an *opinion piece by NCL Executive Director, Sally Greenberg, she argues that contraception is an essential part of health care and that the full array of FDA-approved contraceptives should be fully covered by insurance. NCL also applauds the FDA for moving to increase access to the abortion pill, Mifepristone. As of April 12, the FDA will temporarily allow Mifepristone to be dispensed by mail for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Patients are now able to obtain a safe and effective abortion pill through a telemedicine consult, without risking exposure to COVID-19 with an in-person visit.
COVID-19
In March, NCL’s Executive Director, Sally Greenberg, moderated a discussion with the Cancer Support Community and the American Clinical Laboratory Association. The web briefing provided stakeholders with an in-depth overview of the state of COVID-19 testing and industry efforts to facilitate genomic sequencing to help identify COVID-19 variants.
In continued efforts to educate consumers about COVID-19, NCL featured a guest blog by Farah Towfic, PharmD, MBA, director of the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) COVID-19 Vaccine Handling Toolkit to discuss how USP was able to provide solutions to the operational challenges of delivering vaccines, which helps healthcare practitioners vaccinate more people in their communities quickly and safely.
Vaccine safety and confidence
In efforts to counteract vaccine safety disinformation, NCL, joined by nine patient and consumer advocacy organizations, sent a joint letter to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), expressing concerns regarding Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) monies granted to the leading American anti-vaccine groups. The organizations collectively demanded that the SBA claw back nearly a million dollars worth of PPP loans from some of the most virulent anti-vaccine groups — each of which has spread misleading information about the coronavirus.
NCL continued its regulatory advocacy to increase the safety and confidence in vaccines. On February 24, NCL’s Associate Director of Health Policy Nissa Shaffi testified before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices (ACIP). NCL’s testimony highlighted racial and ethnic disparities in Hepatitis B vaccinations. On April 23, Jeanette Contreras testified before the CDC ACIP in support of lifting a temporary pause on the administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and recognized that the vaccine surveillance systems in place are working as they should to ensure the safety of the American people.
On February 26, Nissa Shaffi testified before the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC). NCL testified in support of the responsible Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of the Janssen Biotech COVID-19 vaccine, pointing to the benefit the vaccine’s one-shot dose would have for rural and medically underserved communities.
To further address vaccine hesitancy and COVID myths, NCL’s Director of Health Policy, Jeanette Contreras, published a Spanish-language blog urging consumers to welcome the newly available Johnson & Johnson vaccine as an additional safe and effective way to curb this pandemic.
Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) driving up Rx costs
NCL is taking up a call to action to address the unfair disadvantage consumers face at pharmacy counters at the hands of pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs. In a statement on the Senate confirmation hearing of HHS Secretary Xavier Beccera, NCL encouraged Beccera to continue critical efforts to help drive down consumer out-of-pocket costs of medicines at the pharmacy counter. Consumers are unaware of what drives the high cost of prescription drugs and they shouldn’t have to, states Sally Greenberg — the system needs to deliver affordable, accessible, safe and effective medications without any entities taking an unfair or hidden profit. Through this work, NCL aims to educate consumers about the role PBMs play in raising costs for their prescription medications via rebates and cost savings that unfortunately do not transfer to patients. NCL is also asking policymakers to act. Stay tuned for more from us on this, and let’s continue the conversation.
Script Your Future Medication Adherence Team Challenge
On April 2, NCL completed its 10th Annual Script Your Future Medication Adherence Team Challenge. The Team Challenge is a competition designed to engage health profession students and faculty across the nation by encouraging teams to develop creative initiatives to raise public awareness about the importance of medication adherence and vaccine confidence. Over the past eight weeks, students from 27 schools of pharmacy have successfully coordinated COVID-19 vaccine clinics, directly counseled thousands of patients, produced informational videos on Anti-Microbial Resistance awareness, and hosted campus-wide Script Your Future events. NCL will announce Team Challenge winners in June. We thank our generous partners for your enduring support of Script Your Future by serving as reviewers this year!
*Links are no longer active as the original sources have removed the content, sometimes due to federal website changes or restructurings.
