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Can prescription drug misuse be stopped?

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    Bruce Roberts from RxAlly offers vital information on ending prescription drug misuse

  • Duration 6:04
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This transcript is automatically generated

Joining us now via satellite from our DC bureau we have a special guest introduce you to his name is Bruce Roberts CE all of our -- Alley.

Thank you so much for being here Bruce we look forward to hearing more about what you have to talk about because this is talking about.

We're here to talk about prescription drug misuse.

On being a huge problem in America and I've got to tell you Bruce I was being a reporter here on the northeast.

A couple of the things that I've been sent out to do is report on these terrible pharmacy shootings.

That have happened.

And that have taken lives that -- wounded so many and really had struck fear in the pharmaceutical world of how to keep people safe -- at all.

-- -- circles right back around to prescription drug misuse abuse and and the real problem that is facing America so why did you decide to start.

-- -- Our focus with -- ally is so there isn't a looming problem in -- beyond the problem that you mentioned of that you -- and the challenges of criminal activity associated with trying to steal pharmacist is prescription drugs from pharmacies.

There's that there's even a much larger crisis and that is the crisis of patients not taking their medications correctly.

There's a 187.

Million individuals and the United States with chronic disease.

It's 50% of -- -- are not taking their medications correctly there.

They're skipping doses so they're not here to -- medicines and so that that's the primary focus of our -- ally.

Is bringing together of like minded pharmacies.

22 really addresses looming issue that's costing our health care system an enormous amount of money.

I understand that -- -- 20000.

Pharmacies including Walgreen under net.

One network how did you do that.

-- it's so it really is there is there's of this looming crisis that I mention.

And there are -- Walgreens and the independents are of the same mind -- that this issue needs to be addressed.

And and really actually it is -- this is -- -- long.

-- -- of mine and and many of my colleagues that -- working with.

Here to Begin to address -- and Walgreens is of like mind and we.

Began to talk about.

How we would find a solution and they decided to join with the independents to to really.

Get after this issue.

Right is such an important issue Bruce tell us how are -- ally is govern and who the owners are help us understand how this all works.

-- their owners it's it's governed by -- aboard that represents both independent pharmacy.

A regional chains and Walgreens.

And there's about 121000 at a tennis regional chains and and -- -- 8000 stores.

That the board is is it is jointly governed by by -- representation from both both sides.

And I mean you guys feel that that your company feels that this is one of the biggest issues in the country right now -- We really do meet our health care system is -- challenged at best.

We have -- we're spending about twice as much is.

Other industrialized countries on on health care and at the same time pharmaceuticals and become a centerpiece of health care.

But unfortunately we're not getting the full value for that investment.

-- in our focus is rather than -- -- the mindset that we've that's play out over the course of the last decade or so.

That has pharmacy just commodity product of you will.

You know and and really not the focus like there needs to be on making sure.

Patients understand the importance of taking their drugs we have decided that we are really going to.

Shift the paradigm and have pharmacist pharmacists who are actually there -- the most accessible health care.

Professional.

Intrastate statistic that I heard down.

Just in the last couple days that virtually every American.

It goes into a pharmacy.

Over the course of a week.

Actually FR patients visit a pharmacy ten twelve to fourteen times a year so it's really up.

Our focus is to leverage that tremendous asset.

To Begin to help address the challenges our health care system.

You know Bruce we've had a lot of these conversations in our newsroom about the drug description drug abuse problem.

And it seems as though the stories that we keep hearing over and over again is that you go to the doctor and and they just fix it they just fix it they just write these scripts.

And they seem to give them out in -- this is obviously not true of all doctors that it does happen often where you do get a prescription quite easily and it's it's hard for patients sometimes to manage to get addicted quickly how do you think patients can avoid.

Prescription drug misuse.

When they're getting -- so easily.

Well I think it is that they the access is is it is an issue.

You know one of the real challenges is that you know and then in many aspects of how.

Patients get their prescription drugs they're not even they're not even.

Haven't -- -- -- have an interaction with the pharmacists.

And and I think the most important thing that we can do is really embrace this this tremendous access.

Opportunity we have of a pharmacist and every community.

And have patients have a personal relationship for their pharmacist because.

If they truly had access -- the expertise of these highly trained professionals.

To counsel them on the importance of taking medications correctly we wouldn't have near the problem we have the United States today.

My Bruce Roberts CEO of RX ally.

Coming to us in the DC bureau how can people find you.

On our web site is WWW -- ally dot com.

And it very quick shortly they'll be.

A place where you can patients can come and find a pharmacist in their community that's part of our -- Right very good Bruce Roberts thank you so much for joining us here today a very -- conversation we appreciate your time on foxnews.com lives.

Thanks for having me.

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