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May Legislative Update: HB 283: Donated Drugs, SB 203: Pharmacy Technicians

HB 283:  Donated Drugs to Colleges 

HB 283 had proponent testimony in the Senate.  This piece of legislation, sponsored by Rep. Webster, would allow manufacturers, wholesalers, and pharmacies to donate used and expired drugs to schools of pharmacy for educational purposes.  The cost of purchasing drugs that are used for instructional purposes has become a big concern for Ohio's colleges and schools of pharmacy as higher education funding from the State keeps dwindling. 

Proponent testimony was heard from Bethanne Brown, PharmD of the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy; T.J. Parnell, PharmD candidate from The Ohio State University; and Amanda Hoersten, PharmD candidate from Ohio Northern University.  All three testified to the financial savings that would be realized by the colleges of pharmacy and the State of Ohio, as well as the benefit that pharmacy students would gain from being able to access actual drugs during their education.

T.J. Parnell and Amanda Hoersten were both doing PharmD rotations at the Ohio Pharmacists Association during the month of April.


SB 203:  Pharmacy Technicians 

Sen. Timothy Grendell (R-Chesterland) introduced this legislation to certify and regulate pharmacy technicians.  We continue to work closely with Sen. Grendell and other interested parties to craft legislation that will maintain the high standards of safety that pharmacists and patients expect, and still allow for the common sense use of pharmacy technicians in pharmacy practice. 

We have recently seen the introduction of pharmacy technician legislation on a federal level by U.S. Reps. Steven C. LaTourette (R-OH) and Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA), who have introduced HR. 5491, The Pharmacy Technician Training and Registration Act of 2008. This sweeping federal legislation will mandate training, education, registration and certification requirements for pharmacy technicians nationwide.  The bill will require states to register pharmacy technicians, and have them pass the national Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) exam, which triggers mandatory continuing education and renewal every two years. It will also provide grants to the states to comply with the Act, and any state accepting a grant will have to report pharmacy technician errors to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.  Finally, it indicates it is the Sense of Congress that pharmacists are capped at supervising three technicians at one time.

OPA will continue to monitor this legislation closely. 



Please contact kvyzral@ohiopharmacists.org with questions regarding legislative issues.

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