Observation 3

Florida's Pharmaceutical Distribution Dissimilation

For my third observation, I thought it would be interesting to research and compare Florida's pharmaceutical distribution laws in comparison to the rest of the country's. I had previously heard something about Florida's prescription drug distribution laws being different than every other state's, so I decided to investigate.

In 2003, The Prescription Drug Protection Act unintentionally isolated the state from the nation's pharmaceutical distribution network. This was unfortunately the cause of enormous amounts of prescription drug abuse. Patients would get prescriptions filled at two or three pharmacies in one day. These consequences could have been crucial in the event of an emergency or a drug shortage. Something had to be done!

Mckesson, the largest pharmaceutical distributor in America. who had sales of 101.7 billion in 2008, is a company dedicated to helping its customers deliver high quality health care by reducing costs, and improving the quality and safety of patient care. ("Mkesson Empowering Health Care 2006") Their primary focus is to keep the nations drug supply safe and to make sure lifesaving drugs get where they are needed, when they are needed.

Jeb Bush, the Governor of Florida recently took action to rectify this issue. He signed into law Florida House Bill 371. This bill enhances the security of the distribution network without compromising the safe, cost-effective, and rapid delivery of medicines to Florida health care providers and their patients. Mckesson is fully supportive of this legislature for obvious reasons.

It was very interesting to learn about how pharmaceutical laws can vary from state to state. When I first discovered what I had heard to be true, it shocked me. Honestly, I felt somewhat intimidated because I now reside in Florida. However, when I found out that Jeb Bush signed the the new bill into law, I was very relieved. I would still like to find out more about the variations of pharmacy distribution laws within the country as well as outside of it. This was a very educational observation and definitely my favorite one yet. I can't wait to learn more next week!