U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-GA, – a pharmacist by trade — is working to increase patients’ access to pharmaceuticals by cutting what he calls “unnecessary bureaucracy” within the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Earlier this week, Carter teamed with Rep. Deborah Ross, a Democrat from North Carolina, to introduce the bipartisan Improving Access to Safe Medicines Act.
According to Carter, this legislation will ensure that the DEA makes timely decisions on whether to de-schedule drugs recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which would make them available to patients with fewer restrictions. By requiring that the DEA make this determination within 180 days, this bill will reduce a barrier to care that artificially drives up costs and delays patients’ access to life-saving drugs, Carter explained.
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter
“There are patients with chronic illnesses who have been waiting more than a year for the DEA to determine whether or not their drug will be de-scheduled,” said Carter, when introducing the legislation.
“This is a classic example of federal bureaucracy infringing on a patient’s livelihood,” Carter added. “Every day we wait, patients’ access to life-saving pharmaceuticals is delayed. As a pharmacist, I understand how valuable time is in a person’s health care journey, which is why I’m glad to introduce this bill alongside Rep. Ross and eliminate this unnecessary barrier to health care access.”
Carter says the intent of the legislation is to ensure patients have access to what can be “life-saving medications” when they need them the most. The drugs impacted by this bill have already been “deemed safe by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.”
“Our bill will remove unnecessary hurdles that have prevented patients from accessing and doctors from prescribing safe treatments. The Improving Access to Safe Medicines Act will streamline the process for de-scheduling drugs,” said Congresswoman Ross.
