Birth-control Rx bill voted down in Arkansas House

2 pharmacy measures OK’d

The Arkansas House on Monday rejected a bill that would give pharmacists the authority to dispense birth-control pills to customers who lack a prescription from a doctor or nurse practitioner.

The House did approve two other bills Monday aimed at expanding pharmacists' dispensing authority.

In arguing for providing easier access to birth-control pills, Rep. Aaron Pilkington, R-Clarksville, said that House Bill 1290 would reduce unwanted and teen pregnancies, and the amount of money the state Medicaid program spends on such pregnancies.

Rep. Joe Cloud, a retired obstetrician-gynecologist, contended that the bill would "keep young, vulnerable women from being checked for cervical, uterine or ovarian abnormalities," as well as for chlamydia, before they start taking the pill.

He noted that the pills come in different forms and dosages. Women can gain access to them and other forms of contraceptives from the Department of Health's Local Health Units, where they would also receive exams, he said.

"There's an art to prescribing these, and prescribing them correctly," he said.

Cloud, R-Russellville, also contended that the bill would promote the pills over more effective, longer-acting forms of birth control.

The bill would allow pharmacists who complete a training program approved by the state Board of Pharmacy to dispense oral contraceptives to women who are 18 or older.

The pharmacist would have to follow a protocol approved by the Pharmacy Board and state Medical Board and notify the woman's primary-care provider.

If the woman had not seen a primary-care or women's health practitioner within the previous six months, the pharmacist would be required to refer the woman to a primary-care provider and limit the drugs to a six-month supply.

Rep. Deborah Ferguson, D-West Memphis, said she didn't disagree with Cloud's comments, but called the bill a "pragmatic, short-term approach" to increasing access to birth control.

"I'm friends with my gynecologist, and sometimes it takes me six weeks to get an appointment," she said.

She added that the protocol would include patient safeguards and ensure women are told about long-acting birth control.

The bill fell three short of the 51 it needed to pass. Thirty members voted against it, and nine voted "present."

In a divided voice vote, the House then approved a motion by Rep. Jeff Wardlaw, R-Hermitage, to expunge the vote, allowing the bill to be considered again later.

In a 93-0 vote, the representatives approved House Bill 1263, which would allow pharmacists to dispense nicotine replacement products under a statewide protocol.

Most of the products can already be purchased without a prescription. Allowing pharmacists to dispense them under the protocol would allow customers to pay for them through their insurance coverage, John Vinson, chief operating officer of the Arkansas Pharmacists Association, has said.

Customers would still have to have a prescription to obtain drugs such as Zyban or Chantix.

In an 84-4 vote, with one member voting "present," the House also approved House Bill 1278, which would allow pharmacists to administer childhood vaccines to children 7 and older under a physician's written protocol.

Arkansas Code 17-92-101 already allows pharmacists to administer flu vaccine to children age 7 and older and other vaccines to adults under a general protocol that doesn't require a prescription for each patient. Pharmacists can also administer vaccines to children age 7 and older who have a prescription from a physician or nurse practitioner.

HB1278's sponsor, Rep. Jimmy Gazaway, R-Paragould, said that extending pharmacists' authority to administer vaccines to children who lack a prescription would help improve the state's immunization rates and prevent disease outbreaks.

The votes sent HB1263 and HB1278 to the Senate.

A Section on 03/05/2019

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