Adults with documented medical histories of allergic reactions would find it’s easier and cheaper to get EpiPens under a bill Ohio lawmakers are considering.
Republican representative Derek Merrin’s bill would give pharmacists the ability to dispense epinephrine auto injectors to patients without a doctor’s prescription.
“What this would allow the pharmacists ability to do is really prevent adults from having to go into the doctor’s office every single year to get a prescription, pay the co-pays when they’ve already been on an epinephrine auto injector, many of them since their childhood.”
The price of EpiPens has skyrocketed to about $600 for a two-pack, and the devices need to be replaced regularly. Merrin’s bill would also allow pharmacists to substitute a prescription written for an EpiPen with a less expensive auto injector, which is not currently classified as a generic for the brand name EpiPen.
