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Montana News: Legislative Update
Reprinted from the April 2007 Montana Board of Pharmacy Newsletter.
The Montana Legislature is currently in session. A brief description of the bills before the Montana Legislature that directly affect the practice of pharmacy follows.
House Bill (HB) 449 Rescheduling of Buprenorphine. This bill proposes to amend the Montana Controlled Substance Act to move buprenorphine from a Schedule V to a Schedule III CS. Rescheduling buprenorphine to a Schedule III CS will bring Montana into compliance with federal law. The Board of Pharmacy supports HB 449.
HB 536 Wholesale Drug Distributors – Licensing and Medication Integrity. This bill created new wholesale drug distributor statutes, which provide for stringent licensing requirements for wholesale drug distributors and require the establishment of electronic drug pedigrees. The Board supports the concept of protecting the integrity of drug supply chain, but spoke in opposition to the bill because it conflicts with the existing wholesale drug distribution statutes. The Board worked with the bill sponsors to draft an amended bill that incorporates the stringent licensing requirements for wholesale drug distributors and establishes a requirement for electronic pedigrees into existing statutes.
SB 326 Prescription Monitoring Program. This bill allows the creation of an electronic database containing CS prescription information submitted by Montana-licensed pharmacies. The database would be maintained by the Board of Pharmacy and could be accessed by prescribers and dispensers of CS for the purposes of protecting patient safety and inhibiting prescription drug abuse and diversion. The Board testified in support of a prescription monitoring program in Montana.
SB 397 Revise Pharmacy Laws to Allow Dispensing of Drugs at Employer-Based Clinics. This bill would allow practitioners working at an employer-based clinic to dispense prescription medications directly to patients seen at that clinic, regardless of the location in relation to retail pharmacy services. The Board of Pharmacy testified in opposition to this bill because of the potentially detrimental impact on patient safety that could result from eliminating the double check of the pharmacist and having prescriptions filled at multiple facilities.
SB 521 An Act Prohibiting the Substitution of Anti-epilepsy Drugs Without Patient and Physician Consent. This bill, as amended, would require a pharmacist to obtain patient and prescriber consent prior to substituting generic for brand, brand for generic, or generic to generic for any drug used to treat epilepsy. The Board did not take a formal position on the amended bill.
The Board of Pharmacy strongly urges all pharmacists to contact their local legislators to express their support or opposition to the legislation that could directly affect pharmacy practice in Montana. Information about the status of each bill as well as contact information for legislators can be found at www.mt.gov. Click on “Legislative Session Information” then select “2007 Session (LAWS).” From there, you have many options including “Look Up Bill Information” and “Legislator Information.” Most legislators list their e-mail addresses in their profiles, and e-mail is a very easy and effective method to contact legislators to express your opinion about a specific bill.
