May 25, 2017

Sixth annual Script Your Future contest saw participation by 66 health profession schools hosting 300+ events in 18 states and Puerto Rico, and reaching more than 12 million consumers nationwide

Contact: National Consumers League – Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org, (412) 945-3242 or Cindy Hoang, cindyh@nclnet.org, (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC — Today, the National Consumers League (NCL) and its partners announced the winners of the sixth annual Script Your Future Medication Adherence Team Challenge, a competition designed to engage health profession students and faculty across the nation by encouraging teams to develop creative ideas, events, and initiatives to raise public awareness about the importance of medication adherence. This year’s winners are University of Charleston School of Pharmacy, Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), University of the Sciences Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, and University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy.

The 2017 Medication Adherence Team Challenge is part of the national Script Your Future public awareness campaign coordinated by NCL and its 135+ public and private stakeholder organizations, which include Challenge sponsors—the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA). “The Script Your Future Medication Adherence Team Challenge continues to be an innovative method for our future healthcare professionals to engage with their local communities,” said Executive Vice President and CEO at AACP Dr. Lucinda L. Maine. “The broad social media outreach and events held in these communities provide essential information and strategies for patients to improve their medication adherence and ultimately their health outcomes.”

Research shows that nearly three out of four Americans do not take their medications as directed. This may lead to devastating results, particularly for people with chronic conditions. National health advocacy leaders have recognized poor medication adherence, the outcome of which leads to more than one-third of medicine-related hospitalizations and at least 125,000 U.S. deaths each year, as a public health priority. Improved medication adherence leads to better health outcomes and reduced total healthcare costs, and it was for these reasons that NCL launched the Script Your Future awareness campaign in 2011. The Team Challenge was established as a way to extend campaign messages into medical and other health profession schools, and to nurture adherence-minded values in future generations of professionals entering the workplace.

“Each year, we are so impressed with and inspired by the collaborative and creative outreach the student teams carry out to improve awareness of medication adherence in their communities,” said NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg. “Though the current healthcare landscape is anything but certain, we know that the role of healthcare professionals in promoting medication adherence and improving health outcomes will always be integral. We look forward to continuing to work with the next generation of health professionals to promote an interprofessional approach to adherence-minded care delivery through the Team Challenge.”

Top-performing teams are honored with a National Award for overall outstanding team achievement, or a Focused Award, which recognizes outstanding team achievement in the specific areas of health disparity/under-represented community outreach, media/communications outreach, or creative interprofessional team event. This year, the Script Your Future National Awards went to the University of Charleston School of Pharmacy and Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED). NEOMED also won two focused awards in the areas of health disparities and media outreach. The University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy earned the focused award for creative interprofessional team event. For the first time, NCL also honored an outstanding team in their first or second year of the Challenge with the Rookie Award. This prize went to University of the Sciences Philadelphia College of Pharmacy.

“The Script Your Future Team Challenge is a forward-thinking, collaborative effort that could spark further improvements in medication adherence,” said NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey, RPh, MBA. “It’s appropriate that pharmacists play a prominent role in this annual event. They’re clinically trained medication experts with a commitment to driving patient adherence through services like medication therapy management and medication synchronization. The Script Your Future participants are experimenting with new ways to improve health outcomes and bend the cost curve—and we can all learn from their experience. NCPA applauds their efforts.”

For this year’s Challenge, hundreds of future healthcare professionals held more than 320 events in 18 states and Puerto Rico, directly counseled more than 15,000 patients, and exposed more than 12 million consumers nationwide to Script Your Future. Since the Challenge began in 2011, more than 12,000 future healthcare professionals have directly counseled nearly 50,000 patients and reached more than 23 million consumers.

“The Medication Adherence Team Challenge gives students the opportunity to build inter-professional healthcare teams that can help patients adhere to their prescriptions,” said NACDS Foundation President Kathleen Jaeger. “Participants in this year’s Challenge exemplified the influence that care collaboration has on advancing patient care and improving public health. The NACDS Foundation is proud to be a part of such an impactful and educational program.”

“Considering both their expertise and accessibility, pharmacists are uniquely positioned to help patients optimize the effects of their prescription medications which includes encouraging adherence. We are excited to continue our involvement with the Medication Adherence Team Challenge and the strong message it sends to healthcare professionals, patients and the community about the importance of medication adherence,” said APhA CEO Thomas E. Menighan, BSPharm, MBA, ScD (Hon), FAPhA.

The recognized schools, selected from dozens of applications and 66 participating educational institutions, are listed below.

National Challenge Award: University of Charleston School of Pharmacy
The University of Charleston School of Pharmacy partnered with the University’s Physician Assistant Program, Nursing Program and several student organizations to sponsor 23 innovative medication adherence events and activities that reached 750,000+ people in West Virginia. The Charleston team participated in eight health fairs, partnered with local hospitals, and provided direct patient counseling, point-of-care testing, and medication reviews to three underserved rural communities. The team also introduced the “Generation Rx” program, through which more than 300 5^th grade students were educated on medication adherence, medication safety, and proper medication disposal. In addition to targeted interventions addressing cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and diabetes, the Charleston team, in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), incorporated educational outreach efforts to address the opioid epidemic and safe opioid use and disposal. Other activities included the distribution of 33,000 medication adherence flyers and wallet cards, the coordination of a West Virginia Pharmacist’s Day at the State Legislature, and a six-part radio series on medication adherence.

National Challenge Award: Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED)
The team at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), comprised by pharmacy, medical, and nursing students, conducted several community and media events to educate a broad range of patient populations, including children, seniors, refugees, and low-income individuals, on the importance of medication adherence. The team established multiple touchpoints for patients and consumers to connect with the Script Your Future campaign by providing educational opportunities and disseminating thousands of wallet cards, posters, stickers, and pillboxes in various community settings—including college basketball games, senior assisted living facilities, local recreation centers, free clinics, and a cheer competition. Other activities included a medical mission trip to Honduras, participation in the Accelerate Northeast Ohio “Pillbox Project” Competition, and the direct counseling of 4,000+ patients. Additionally, the NEOMED team was honored for its medication adherence advocacy with a proclamation from Ohio Governor John Kasich, designating January through March “Remembering to Take Your Medicines Months.”

National Challenge Award: Finalists
The following schools were named Finalists under the National Award category: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Pharmacy (LECOM), Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, Touro University California College of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy.

Rookie Award: University of the Sciences Philadelphia College of Pharmacy
University of the Sciences Philadelphia College of Pharmacy (USciences) made an excellent showing in the Team Challenge as a first-time competitor, reaching more than 15,000 people through 17 community events and social media outreach. Students from USciences’ Colleges of Pharmacy and Health Sciences comprised the interprofessional team. In addition, the team forged partnerships with Pennsylvania’s Dental Medicine School, Samson College of Health Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, and Temple University’s School of Dentistry and School of Medicine. Activities included a weekly table at the local farmer’s market, partnerships with local pharmacies to counsel patients, and participation in the “Know Your Numbers” Men’s Health Initiative of 2017, Philadelphia’s largest screening event for men. The team’s work on medication adherence and the Script Your Future campaign was also featured in its school newsletter and other Philadelphia news outlets.

Rookie Award Finalist: St. John Fisher College
St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY also made a very strong showing in their Rookie year of the Challenge.

FOCUSED AWARDS
Health Disparities/Under-represented Community Outreach Award: Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED)
Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) addressed economic, educational, and cultural barriers to medication adherence through its robust outreach to underserved populations. Examples of NEOMED’s efforts include a Night of Hope for refugees in Akron, a Heroin Epidemic community presentation, seminars in three underserved senior apartment complexes, and a medical mission trip to Honduras that reached 2,400+ patients.

Communication and Media Outreach Award: Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED)
This year’s Media/Communications Outreach Award went to Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), which reached more than 1 million people through several print and digital media. NEOMED’s team produced two videos—the first highlighting Script Your Future campaign materials through the “Mannequin Challenge,” and the other demonstrating the importance of medication adherence through a music video. In addition to educating thousands of patients through social media, the team also promoted medication adherence through articles in university and local publications and local news segments.

Touro University California College of Pharmacy, a finalist for both the National Challenge Award and the Media Outreach Award, produced an excellent animated video about the importance of medication adherence and tips to improve adherence.  

Creative Inter-Professional Team Event Award: University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy
The University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy partnered with students from the University’s schools of medicine, nursing, public health, social work, and health and rehabilitation services to conduct several innovative events that raised awareness of the importance of taking medications as directed. In addition to patient counseling and point-of-care testing, other activities included a tabling event at a local pharmacy, presentations on the importance of medication adherence to occupational therapy students, a feature in the School of Social Work newsletter, and trainings to nursing and medical students on conducting the MMAS-4 survey, which measures medication adherence.

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About Script Your Future
Launched in 2011, Script Your Future is a campaign of the National Consumers League (NCL), a private, non-profit membership organization founded in 1899. NCL’s mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. As an advocacy organization, NCL is working to educate consumers and key health stakeholders on the importance of taking medication as directed. For more information about the Script Your Future campaign, visit ScriptYourFuture.org. For more information on NCL, please visit nclnet.org.

May 12, 2017

Media contact: NCL Communications, Cindy Hoang, cindyh@nclnet.org, (202) 207-2832

The National Consumers League (NCL), the nation’s pioneering consumer and nutrition advocacy organization, is pleased by the confectionery industry’s voluntary commitment made at the Partnership for a Healthier America Summit to provide consumers with greater transparency and portion options.

The following statement may be attributed to Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of the National Consumers League:

“Consumers consider candy a fun treat which can be incorporated into a balanced diet. The confectionery companies that made the recent announcement to label calories on the front of their packaging and create smaller sizes are helping people understand what it means to have the occasional treat. We support the companies’ commitment and investment in consumer education programs that will reinforce the treat concept and help consumers to make informed choices and reduce their consumption of calories and sugar.”

NCL has long respected the role of the Partnership for a Healthier America in the work it does to encourage the production and consumption of healthier alternatives on campuses, in hospitals, and in the broader marketplace. 

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization.  Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad.  For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

May 9, 2017

Media contact: NCL Communications, Cindy Hoang, cindyh@nclnet.org, (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC—As the nation’s pioneer consumer organization, the National Consumers League (NCL) strongly supports consumer access to safe, effective, and affordable prescription drugs. However, given NCL’s long-standing focus on health policy and fraud issues, we are concerned that pending prescription drug importation proposals will open the U.S. market to a flood of counterfeit and/or substandard drugs, putting patient health and safety at risk. HHS and FDA agree that the risks of importation outweigh any potential cost-saving benefits. “Over the last 17 years, every HHS Secretary and FDA Commissioner has refused to certify the safety of prescription drug importation,” said NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg.

Counterfeit drugs are a significant public health threat. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 10 percent of medicines worldwide are counterfeit, including up to half of the drugs consumed in developing nations. Counterfeit drugs may contain the wrong active ingredient, the wrong amount of the active ingredient, no active ingredient, harmful ingredients, or even poisons such as mercury, road tar, or antifreeze. Fortunately, the U.S. has a closed drug distribution system, along with a comprehensive FDA review, approval, and regulatory process that works to protect American consumers from the threat of counterfeit drugs.

Allowing prescription drug importation from Canada and other countries would likely lead to an explosion of new online pharmacies hoping to lure consumers with the promise of low prices. We know, however, that it is very difficult for consumers to distinguish between safe and legitimate online pharmacy websites and thousands of others selling counterfeit, adulterated, and unapproved drugs. According to the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP Global, of which NCL is an Observer Member), 65 percent of online search results for prescription drugs lead U.S. consumers to illegal and unsafe websites. Furthermore, it is difficult – if not impossible – for law enforcement to take action against these illegal online pharmacies, especially if they are based overseas. Allowing prescription drug importation will only exacerbate these patient safety risks.

NCL is also concerned that there is no way to ensure that drugs purporting to come from Canada actually come from Canada. Canada has said that it will not certify the integrity and safety of drugs exported from Canada into the U.S. According to an FDA report, “FDA evaluation of non-FDA-approved imported drugs revealed that while nearly half of imported drugs claimed to be Canadian or from Canadian pharmacies, 85 percent of such drugs were actually from different countries.” The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) shares NCL’s concerns and has cautioned that “sending consumers online to look for Health Canada-approved medicines is reckless, as US patients are likely to receive unapproved, substandard, and counterfeit drugs from unknown foreign sources, posing a serious risk to patient safety.”

Prescription drug importation undermines the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) safety goals, because product would be sold into the U.S. system without the necessary product identifiers that will enable electronic tracing of products throughout the drug supply chain (see 2/28/17 letter from the Pew Charitable Trusts to Senator Sanders). The U.S. government would not be able to enforce DSCSA requirements as to foreign manufacturers, wholesalers, or dispensers. In addition, there is no way to verify that foreign sellers are buying only from FDA-registered foreign facilities. There is great profit potential for bad actors to purchase from illegal sources and sell to the U.S. market, thus threatening the health of our nation’s consumers.

“While ensuring access to affordable prescription drugs is a goal shared by all, prescription drug importation is too risky,” said NCL Health Policy Director Karin Bolte. As former FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf has stated: “Authorizing importation would compromise the closed drug distribution system in the United States and undermine these [safety] laws, thus making it easier for unapproved drugs, which may include counterfeit or other substandard drugs, to reach American patients putting their treatment at risk. FDA is concerned that the risks of unapproved products from foreign sources outweigh any potential cost savings.”

“The National Consumers League urges Congress to reject prescription drug importation proposals and find other ways to ensure consumer access to the safe, effective, and affordable drugs they need to maintain their health,” said Bolte.

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

May 4, 2017

Media contact: NCL Communications, Cindy Hoang, cindyh@nclnet.org, (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League (NCL), in response to a decision from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to delay the compliance date for menu labeling from May 5, 2017 to May 7, 2018, has issued the following statement, which may be attributed to NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg:

Menu labeling guidelines were first introduced as a provision under the 2010 Affordable Care Act. The rules require restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores and cafeterias, with more than 20 locations, display calorie counts on their printed menus and posted menu boards.

We are disappointed that the FDA has yielded to industry pressure to extend compliance dates yet another year. Industry lobbyists argue compliance will be complicated and costly. However many chains, such as McDonalds, Panera, Dunkin Donuts, and Starbucks, have already responded to the proposed rules and very helpfully posted calorie and nutrition information for the benefit of all consumers. Studies have shown that companies that offer voluntary calorie amounts actually offer lower calorie meal options than establishments that don’t disclose nutrition information.

Readily available nutritional information allows consumers to make informed choices about what they and their families consume. Even industry agrees. A report by Unilever found that as many as “67 percent of U.S. diners indicated they wanted to know about fat content and calorie content on menus.” Additional research presented by the Center for Science in the Public Interest found: 80 percent of Americans support menu labeling in chain restaurants; 77 percent want calorie labeling at convenience stores; and 81 percent favor having supermarkets provide calorie information for their prepared, restaurant-type foods.

FDA will open a 60-day comment period starting  May 4, 2017. We encourage consumers to submit comments during this period and urge the FDA to enforce menu labeling that gives consumers the nutritional information they want and will use. Additionally, members of Congress are also trying to weaken menu labeling rules. An anti-menu labeling bill named the “Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act (S.261/HR.772)” was surreptitiously attached as a rider to the FY2017 appropriations bill. We urge consumers to call their members of Congress in opposition of this misleading bill. Consumers can call them through the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.