New Hampshire Pharmacies Could Soon Dispense Ivermectin Without Doctor Approval
New Hampshire residents may soon be able to receive ivermectin from pharmacies without first getting a prescription or approval from a doctor.
Proposed legislation titled House Bill 1022 would allow pharmacists to dispense the drug, which some believe can treat COVID-19 even though it lacks approval for such use from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), by means of standing orders.
Under the law, pharmacists would be able to "dispense ivermectin under the delegated prescriptive authority of the physician or APRN (Advanced Practice Registered Nurses), specify a mechanism to document screening performed and the prescription in the patient's medical record, and include a plan for evaluating and treating adverse events," according to the bill.
"Any such prescription shall be regarded as being issued for a legitimate medical purpose in the usual course of professional practice."
The pharmacist would also be required to provide any patients who receive ivermectin with a "standardized information sheet written in plain language" that provides health care referral information and notes the importance of follow-up care.
"Nothing on the information sheet shall discourage the recipient from using ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19," the bill read.
According to the legislation, the measure would take effect 60 days after it was passed.
The FDA has not approved ivermectin for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 in both humans and animals, according to its website. It is, however, "approved for human use to treat infections caused by some parasitic worms and head lice and skin conditions like rosacea."
The agency said that while clinical trials to assess the effectiveness of ivermectin against COVID-19 were taking place, current data does not indicate that is the case. It also said that taking large doses of the drug is dangerous, and instructed anyone who receives an ivermectin prescription to "fill it through a legitimate source such as a pharmacy, and take it exactly as prescribed."
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