The following statement can be attributed to Baeteena Black, executive director of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association, in response to legislation (HB 0368) filed Jan. 30 by Rep. David Hawk, R-Greeneville, that would require Tennessee consumers to obtain a prescription for medications containing pseudoephedrine, such as Advil Cold and Sinus and Sudafed.
“The legislation filed today by Rep. David Hawk, R-Greeneville, punishes the vast majority of cold and allergy sufferers by making them go to the time and expense of obtaining a prescription from their physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner.
“The Tennessee Pharmacists Association strongly supports use of the National Precursor Log Exchange, the real-time, point-of-sale, tracking system put into place in Tennessee in January of 2012. That system ensures that our customers and patients continue to have access to the nonprescription cold and allergy medicines of their choice so they can effectively treat their symptoms without having to miss family or work obligations. In addition, this system provides law enforcement with access to valuable information about sales of pseudoephedrine-containing products.
“Our organization remains opposed to legislation that would require law-abiding Tennesseans to obtain a doctor’s prescription to purchase these safe and effective medicines. It’s critically important for our leaders to give NPLEx time to work.
“We all agree that methamphetamine abuse is a serious problem that should be eradicated. Solving the problem is going to require cooperation from many groups, including law enforcement and the Tennessee General Assembly. TPA and its members remain committed to working on this serious problem, but believe mandating a prescription for these everyday medications is not the solution.”
-From Contributed Reports
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