The U.S. House of Representatives has approved by voice vote H.R. 1919, Safeguarding America’s Pharmaceuticals Act of 2013. H.R. 1919 is a bipartisan bill intended to improve drug distribution security and protect against counterfeit pharmaceuticals. According to the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio), the bill would replace an unworkable patchwork of state laws by establishing a uniform national standard of tracing requirements for manufacturers, wholesale distributors, pharmacies and repackagers based on changes in ownership. The bill would also establish a collaborative process between the Food and Drug Administration and stakeholders to research ways to secure pharmaceutical distribution.

This voice vote follows on the heels of the recent unanimous vote by the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee to combine the HELP Committee’s current draft of “S. 957, Drug Supply Chain Security Act” with their draft of “S. 959, Pharmaceutical Compounding Quality and Accountability Act” and move the legislation to the Senate floor for consideration.