APhA and LearnSomething Team Up to Tackle REMS

A new partnership between the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and heath care continuing education provider LearnSomething aims to simplify how pharmacists comply with the FDA’s educational requirements for Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS).

Working with LearnSomething, APhA will consolidate REMS information into a comprehensive e-learning platform equipped with both educational and compliance tracking tools. The program is scheduled to launch in the 2nd quarter of 2011 and will include general REMS education and REMS information for specific medications.

The announcement coincided with the organization’s annual meeting, where a diverse group of stakeholders discussed APhA’s ongoing efforts to improve REMS while representing the interests of pharmacy. At the meeting, held March 25-28 in Seattle, Washington, APhA leaders outlined their past achievements in the REMS arena and identified strategies for going forward.

Marcie Bough, PharmD, APhA’s senior director of government affairs, explained at the meeting’s Legislative and Regulatory Update session that APhA “has led pharmacy in REMS discussions…focusing on the need to use a standardized, system-based approach to improve REMS, decrease the burden on the health care system, and ensure patient access to needed medications,” according to an APhA statement.

Through these and other initiatives, the organization that represents more than 60,000 of the nation’s pharmacists hopes to realize its vision for drug-specific patient education: a streamlined suite of medication resources that are consistent, user-friendly, and easily integrated into pharmacy workflow.