An Act To Require a Pharmacist To Provide Prior Notification to and Obtain Consent from the Prescribing Physician before Changing from One Formulation or Manufacturer of an Antiepileptic Drug to Another

Sec. 1. 32 MRSA §13781-A  is enacted to read:

§ 13781-A.  Substitution for antiepileptic drug

A pharmacist shall notify and receive consent from the prescriber before substituting one manufacturer's antiepileptic drug for another manufacturer's antiepileptic drug for a patient with epilepsy. For the purpose of this section, "substituting" means dispensing a different manufacturer's antiepileptic drug instead of the antiepileptic drug with which the patient is currently receiving therapy for epilepsy and includes the substitution of a generic version for a brand version, a brand version for a generic version and a generic version for a generic version from a different manufacturer.

summary

This bill requires a pharmacist to notify and get consent from the prescriber of an antiepileptic drug for a patient with epilepsy if the drug is switched from one formulation or manufacturer to another.