Physicians Durham-Humphrey

Durham-Humphrey Act This law made the first distinction between prescription and nonprescription drugs. As a result, many medications could only be obtained through a physician s prescription. 

Durham-Humphrey Act(1952) - This amendment defined specific drugs which may be supplied by a licensed pharmacist upon the prescription by a registered physician. Under this act these drug prescriptions may not be refilled unless authorized by the physician. 

FDA published the Black Book containing industry guidance entitled Procedures for Appraisal of the Toxicity of Chemicals in Food. 1951 Durham-Humphrey Amendment defined the types of drugs that could only be used with medical supervision and restricted their sale by prescription of a licensed physician. 

The other major piece of legislation in the 1950s was the Durham-Humphrey Amendment to the FD C Act. Humphrey (unsuccessful Presidential candidate and later Vice-President) had been a pharmacist he wanted to clarify what should and should not be an OTC drug. Hitherto, the only reason to get a prescription from a physician, and have it filled by a pharmacist, was because the patient did not know of an OTC drug to meet his/ her need, and the prescription was one which needed to be compounded by a professional. The Amendment provided, perhaps artificially, that when a disease or a drug side effect needed a physician s attention, then any treatment required a prescription, and that only a licensed pharmacist... 

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