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medpundit |
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Saturday, March 15, 2003When State Sen. Rick McDonald died of cancer in 2001, he had about $4,000 worth of unused drugs that had to be destroyed. Vickie McDonald of Rockville, appointed to complete her husband's term, wished those drugs could have been used to help someone else. State lawmakers Thursday voted 43-0 to give first-round approval to her bill, which would allow unused cancer drugs to be given to other patients. Legislative Bill 756 is patterned after a law passed in Ohio. Several other states are considering such legislation. "I know from my own personal experience how much medicine is left when a loved one dies," McDonald said. "I think this is a terrible waste of good medicine." They are taking precautions to minimize the risk of tampering: The bill would allow cancer drugs in their original sealed packages to be donated to a repository. The drugs could not be resold and would be dispensed via prescription through participating hospitals, pharmacies and clinics. Recipients would qualify for the drugs based on economic status. However, drugs within six months of their expiration date, drugs that require refrigeration and controlled substances such as painkillers could not be donated. Not sure why the painkillers can't be donated. Perhaps they fear that there's a greater risk of theft with substitution of placebo. Sounds like a good bill. It's unfortunate that such programs aren't allowed in all states. But, then, the fear of liability looms larger in some states than others. posted by Sydney on 3/15/2003 07:45:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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