Mail-Order Rx Drug Companies Question Plan to Irradiate Mail

Mail-order prescription drug companies are raising concerns that the U.S. Postal Service's proposal to irradiate the mail to eliminate the threat of anthrax exposure could pose "dangers" to medication shipments, CongressDaily reports. LaVarne Burton, president of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, a trade group that represents 110 mail-order prescription drug companies, said that the companies were concerned because there has been "little scientific study" conducted on the effects of irradiation on medications. Burton said that the trade group has contacted the FDA, the Postal Service and the Office of Homeland Security to determine "where they are in the decision process." Burton added, "They told us that they are very early in the process, and that before they do anything, they will reach out to us and respond to our concerns." CongressDaily reports that mail-order drug companies such as AdvancePCS, Merck-Medco and Express Scripts account for nearly one-sixth of the country's prescription drug sales, a percentage that has been "growing in recent years" (CongressDaily, 11/5).