The American Society for Pharmacy Law (ASPL) is an organization of attorneys, pharmacists, pharmacist-attorneys and students of pharmacy or law who are interested in the law as it applies to pharmacy, pharmacists, wholesalers, manufacturers, state and federal government and other interested parties.

ASPL is a nonprofit organization with the purposes of

  • Furthering knowledge in the law related to pharmacists, pharmacies, the provision of pharmaceutical care, the manufacturing and distribution of drugs, and other food, drug, and medical device policy issues;
  • Communicating accurate legal educational information; and
  • Providing educational opportunities for pharmacists, attorneys, and others who are interested in pharmacy law

ASPL has become the premier source to engage with the entire spectrum of professionals at the intersection of pharmacy and legal matters. With my formal training, I approach our meetings with the assumption that I have grasped all of the components that contribute to the pharmacy profession. However, engaging with ASPL has placed context around the various, often overlooked, downstream and upstream factors that impact the law as it applies to pharmacy.
Monet Stanford, PharmD

Latest News

May 20, 2019

IMPORTATION

Under Trump administration, states revive efforts to import drugs from Canada
The FDA Law Blog reported on May 12 that Colorado and Florida have joined Vermont in seeking federal approval for programs that would import drugs from Canada. Colorado’s statute is SB19-005, the Colorado Wholesale Importation of Prescription Drugs Act, and Florida’s statute is CS/HB 19, directing the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration to establish the Canadian Prescription Drug Importation Program. As of May 12, both bills were awaiting the signature of the respective governors.

The Florida bill would also promote the develop of an International Prescription Drug Importation Program permitting the state to order drugs from “foreign nations” with current mutual recognition agreements or cooperative arrangements with the FDA; this would include the European Union and Australia, Canada, Japan, Russia, and Sweden.

Although previous DSHS Secretaries have not approved state importation proposals, President Trump “recently said that his administration will allow states to import drugs if they can be purchased at a lesser price,” according to the report. The FDA Blog noted that it has been previously reported that the cost of implementing and operating an importation program might exceed the pricing benefits to be derived. [Schlanger SJ, Kirschenbaum AM. Two more states seek to establish prescription drug importation programs. FDA Law Blog 2019 May 12; http://bit.ly/2VPjHR5]