Considering that the Food and Drug Administration has chosen to engage in political and religious pandering instead of its real job, it was heartening last week to see the Oregon Board of Pharmacy push back against efforts to restrict access to the so-called "morning-after pill."
The pharmacy board said it was a matter of professional responsibility for pharmacies to fill prescriptions for the pill and, if individual pharmacists object, a pharmacy must offer an immediate alternative to allow patients to fill their prescriptions.
The Oregon board's position statement also prevents pharmacists from sermonizing to patients on the subject and requires pharmacy operators to adopt policies to make sure these things happen.
All of this is a good thing, even though it illustrates the larger problem involved here, which is that there is no need for pharmacists to be in the loop at all.
Three FDA offices and one advisory panel have concluded that the "Plan B" contraceptive is safe and effective for over-the-counter sale. The FDA's governing board, however, has refused to take the necessary step to release the drug for easy access.
This has everything to do with sexual politics and nothing to do with the medical facts involved or expanding society's ability to minimize the number of abortions.
In Oregon, the pharmacy board's executive director, Gary Schnabel, believes that the new rules are more a matter of easing the minds of patients than a response to any widespread problem.
"The net effect is that people will sleep easier," Schnabel told The Oregonian's Patrick O'Neill. "I think a lot of people were worried about what might happen more than what was actually happening."
We'd disagree simply because there's no real way to measure the extent to which women may forgo seeking the drug if doing so might subject them to the disapproval of an overbearing pharmacist.
Oregon law doesn't require pharmacists to simply fill legitimate prescriptions in this area, thus the pharmacy board's ability to do the right thing is limited. That law should be changed. If the FDA won't act, we'd prefer a state approach that would require pharmacists simply to stay out of the doctor-patient relationship in this area.
Pharmacists who believe their role extends to judging their customers on moral and religious grounds are simply in the wrong business.
Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs
# posted by Network @ 9:09 PM
