FDA Mulls Expanding Patients' Access to Certain Drugs

By Amanda Gardner HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Americans troubled by a range of ailments might someday more easily obtain medications that are now only available by prescription.

On Thursday and Friday, experts at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are holding hearings on whether to expand the availability of certain prescription drugs by giving them "conditional" over-the-counter, or OTC, status.

The details of the new plan are sketchy, but certain drugs used to treat such conditions as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, asthma and migraine may no longer require a prescription.

Dispensing of these drugs would vary on a case-by-case basis and would include "conditions of safe use," possibly to be determined by the consumer with the help of a pharmacist.

"There are a lot of unanswered questions right now but we're advocating that the pharmacist would be involved with the patient as they . . . determine if the product is right for them," explained pharmacist Ronna Hauser, vice president of policy and regulatory affairs at the National Community Pharmacists Association. "The information would be relayed back to a physician if necessary."

According to Brian Gallagher, senior vice president of government affairs at the American Pharmacists Association, many of the discussions that have taken place with the FDA on the issue so far have involved emergency medications, such as asthma inhalers.

For example, he said, "if someone had already had an inhaler [prescribed] and they had it confiscated at the airport, they could go in, talk to their pharmacist who has access to medical records and get a refill on their inhaler," he said.

Farther down the road, the plan might give pharmacists the ability to screen a person who has already been diagnosed with high blood pressure by their doctor and restart them on medication if needed.

"The pharmacist could urge them to go see a physician before they get into a really bad situation," Gallagher added.

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FDA Mulls Expanding Patients' Access to Certain Drugs