Sunday, September 1, 2013

Iowa Board of Pharmacy Update on Epilepsy Medications



A committee of the Board met with representatives of the Iowa Epilepsy Treatment & Education Task Force on June 12, 2013. The discussion focused on the proper handling of prescriptions for brand-name products, generic products, and branded generic products. The advantage of having the patient’s diagnosis on the prescription was also discussed. All parties agreed on the following course of action: (1) clarify, in Board rules, the difference between generics and branded generics vis-à-vis Iowa’s law for drug product selection; (2) clarify the proper method for dispensing products from morethan one company in a single prescription due to a drug short- age or other extenuating circumstance (ie, mixing two different generic products in the same prescription vial); and (3) educate pharmacists on the need to notify prescribers whenever a change is made in the dispensing of a patient’s epilepsy medi- cations. The Board will publish proposed changes in rules as soon as they are available and will continue to work with the members of the Epilepsy Task Force to resolve dispensing is- sues and ensure patient safety. A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine has concluded that “changes in pill color significantly increase the odds of nonpersistence; this may have important clinical implications. Our study supports a reconsideration of current regulatory policy that permits wide variation in the appearance of bioequivalent drugs.”
Source: “Variations in Pill Appearance of Antiepileptic Drugs and the Risk of Nonadherence,” JAMA Intern Med. 2013; 173(3): 202- 208. Background: “Generic prescription drugs are bioequivalent
to brand-name versions but may not have consistent color or shape, which can cause confusion and lead to interruptions in medication use. This study sought to determine whether switching among different-appearing antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) is associated with increased rates of medication nonpersistence, which can have serious medical, financial and social consequences.


quoted from the Iowa Board of Pharmacy September 2013 Newsletter 

No comments: