NLARx kicked off its events atthe 2007 NCSL Annual Meeting in Boston with a quarterly business meeting and dinner on August 5th. Members from Maine to Hawaii were in attendance, as well as a number of guest legislators who have been active in fighting for increased access to affordable medicines in their home states. Thirteen states were represented in all. Attendees seized the opportunity to network with each other, share their successes and frustrations from the last legislative session, and discuss policy without the presence of the pharmaceutical lobby.

NLARx also had a strong presence at an official NCSL health committee workshop which focused on PBM practices and data mining. NCSL President and NLARx Associate Director Senator Leticia Van de Putte of Texas introduced the panel, which included Mark Riley of the National Community Pharmacists Association, Barbara Levy of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, NLARx Director and New Hampshire Representative Cindy Rosenwald, and Donna Boswell of Hogan & Hartson LLP. Copies of the slides from each presentation are available at the end of this article.

NLARx also teamed up with Community Catalyst's Prescription Project to hold a breakfast reception August 7th and to staff an exhibit space throughout the week at the Convention Center. Funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Prescription Project promotes policy change among academic medical centers, professional medical societies and public and private payers; advances state and national level policy solutions; and works to expand the use of evidence-based medicine. These events gave both organizations the opportunity to meet new legislators who were interested in working to advance creative prescription drug initiatives.

The capstone of Association?s involvement in the conference was the NLARx and Prescription Project sponsored workshop ?White Coats, Grey Area: Medical Ethics, Drug Marketing, and Public Policy.? Moderated by NLARx Vice Chair and West Virginia Delegate Don Perdue, the distinguished panel included Marcia Hams, Director of Prescription Policy Initiatives at the Prescription Project; Jerry Avorn, MD, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School; David Grande, MD, MPA, Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania and member of the National Physicians Alliance Board of Directors; Julie Brill, Esq., Assistant Attorney General of Vermont; and Maine Rep. Sharon Treat, NLARx Executive Director. The discussion was spirited, insightful, and much like the conference itself, a resounding success.

Related Links:

View Presentations of Mark Riley and Barbara Levy

View Presentations of Cindy Rosenwald and Donna Boswell

View Presentations of Marcia Hams and Sharon Treat

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