The behind-the-scenes effort to improve the supply chain for prescription meds, which has receded into the background despite ongoing concerns over counterfeits, may gain fresh visibility after a new bill was introduced late last week by a bipartisan group of congressmen. Called the Safeguarding America’s Pharmaceuticals Act of 2008, the bill would create federal standards for packaging and tracking meds, and establish new federal minimum standards for wholesale licensing.

The legislation is designed to end a patchwork system by creating national standards, but may cause a stir among state boards of pharmacy that regulate part or all of the distribution process. Meanwhile, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, which represents big pharmacy chains, quickly opposed the legislation in a statement that called the requirements, such as e-pedigrees, costly and complex. “These systems are many years away from full development, have not been fully tested and lack uniform standards and patient privacy safeguards,” according to the group.

As noted by Adam Fein, an industry consultant who first wrote about this on his blog, the bill “will require a massive infrastructure update” by pharmacies. The bill, by the way, is co-sponsored by Steve Buyer (R-IN), Gene Green (D-TX), Jim Matheson (D-UT), and Mike Rogers (R-MI). When a copy becomes available, we will provide a link.

Hat tip to Drug Channels