Bill Text: NY A01924 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Authorizes a pharmacist to substitute a brand name prescription drug for the generic equivalent of such drug if requested to do so by the patient and record the request.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-07-13 - held for consideration in consumer affairs and protection [A01924 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A01924-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          1924
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 18, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced by M. of A. CROUCH, HAWLEY, KOLB -- read once and referred to
          the Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection
        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  education  law,  in relation to authorizing the
          substitution of brand name prescription drugs by a pharmacist
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1.  Paragraph  (a)  of  subdivision  6 of section 6810 of the
     2  education law, as amended by chapter 590 of the laws of 2011, is amended
     3  to read as follows:
     4    (a) Every prescription written in this state by a person authorized to
     5  issue such prescription shall be on prescription  forms  containing  one
     6  line  for  the  prescriber's signature. The prescriber's signature shall
     7  validate the prescription. Every electronic prescription  shall  provide
     8  for  the  prescriber's  electronic  signature,  which shall validate the
     9  electronic prescription. Imprinted conspicuously on  every  prescription
    10  written  in  this state in eight point upper case type immediately below
    11  the signature line shall be the words: "THIS PRESCRIPTION WILL BE FILLED
    12  GENERICALLY UNLESS PRESCRIBER WRITES 'd a w' IN THE BOX  BELOW".  Unless
    13  the  prescriber  writes  d a w in such box in the prescriber's own hand-
    14  writing or, in the case of electronic prescriptions,  inserts  an  elec-
    15  tronic  direction  to  dispense  the  drug  as written, the prescriber's
    16  signature or electronic signature shall designate  approval  of  substi-
    17  tution  by  a  pharmacist of a drug product pursuant to paragraph (o) of
    18  subdivision one of section two hundred six of the public health law.  No
    19  other letters or marks in  such  box  shall  prohibit  substitution.  No
    20  prescription forms used or intended to be used by a person authorized to
    21  issue a prescription shall have 'd a w' preprinted in such box. Such box
    22  shall  be  placed  directly under the signature line and shall be three-
    23  quarters inch in length and one-half inch in height,  or  in  comparable
    24  form for an electronic prescription as may be specified by regulation of
    25  the  commissioner.  Immediately below such box shall be imprinted in six
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02790-01-9
        A. 1924                             2
     1  point type the words "Dispense As Written".   Notwithstanding any  other
     2  provision of law, no state official, agency, board or other entity shall
     3  promulgate  any  regulation or guideline modifying those elements of the
     4  prescription  form's  contents  specified  in  this  subdivision. To the
     5  extent otherwise permitted by law, a prescriber may  modify  only  those
     6  elements  of  the  prescription  form's  contents  not specified in this
     7  subdivision. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or  any
     8  other  law, when a generic drug is not available and the brand name drug
     9  originally prescribed is available and the pharmacist agrees to dispense
    10  the brand name product for a price that will not exceed the  price  that
    11  would  have  been  charged for the generic substitute had it been avail-
    12  able, substitution of a generic drug product will not  be  required.  If
    13  the  generic drug product is not available and a medical emergency situ-
    14  ation, which for purposes of this section is defined  as  any  condition
    15  requiring  alleviation  of severe pain or which threatens to cause disa-
    16  bility or take life if not promptly treated, exists, then the pharmacist
    17  may dispense the brand name  product  at  his  regular  price.  In  such
    18  instances  the  pharmacist  must record the date, hour and nature of the
    19  medical emergency on the back of the prescription and keep a copy of all
    20  such  prescriptions.    Notwithstanding  any  other  provision  of  this
    21  section,  or of any other law, if a generic drug product is available, a
    22  pharmacist may inform the patient that  the  brand  name  drug  is  also
    23  available  and  that  the  price of such brand name drug will exceed the
    24  price of the generic drug product. Upon the request of the patient,  the
    25  pharmacist  may dispense the brand name product at the regular price. In
    26  such instances the pharmacist must record  the  date  and  hour  of  the
    27  patient  request  on the back of the prescription and keep a copy of all
    28  such prescriptions.
    29    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
    30  it shall have become a law. Effective immediately any rule or regulation
    31  necessary for the timely implementation of this  act  on  its  effective
    32  date may be promulgated on or before such date.