Final answer:
The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1990 requires pharmacists to conduct prospective drug utilization reviews to ensure medication safety and efficacy. The FDA's regulation, including these reviews, protects the public while also imposing costs that make some stakeholders the 'losers' of the system due to higher drug prices and delayed access to new drugs.
Step-by-step explanation:
The law that requires pharmacists to perform prospective drug utilization reviews is the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1990. This act includes provisions for the Medicaid program, which mandates the review of prescribed medications before they are dispensed to ensure appropriate therapeutic utility, absence of side effects, and to prevent drug interactions. These requirements are part of the pharmacy practice standards, which help pharmacists to identify issues such as therapeutic duplication, drug disease contraindications, drug interactions, incorrect drug dosage or duration of drug treatment, drug allergy interactions, and clinical abuse/misuse.
To ensure safety and efficacy, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the medicines that pharmacies are allowed to sell in the United States. The FDA's regulation process includes extensive testing and monitoring of drugs, not only before they reach the market but also after they've been approved via pharmacovigilance systems. While this system protects the public from unsafe drugs, the 'losers' in this case, often referred to as more anonymous, are those parties who bear the cost of these regulations, including delayed access to new therapies for patients and increased expenses for pharmaceutical companies, which may, in turn, lead to higher drug prices.