Should Utah cancer doctors dispense drugs? Senate panel clears bill that would allow it

SALT LAKE CITY — Already undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment for breast cancer, Debra Berry received a prescription for a drug to ease her nausea and vomiting.

The 50-year-old Ogden resident drove to several pharmacies but other than a pill or two, none of them had it in stock. She also had to pick up prescriptions during flu season, forcing her to wear a mask and keep her distance from other pharmacy customers so she wouldn't get sick.

"As a patient, it's really tough to go through," she told the Senate Business and Labor Committee on Tuesday.

A bill before the Utah Legislature aims to ease the burden on cancer patients by allowing oncologists to prescribe and dispense from their offices a complete treatment regimen, including drugs for physical and emotional pain. State law currently allows doctors to prescribe drugs, but only pharmacists to dispense them.

"I think this bill would be incredibly helpful for patients," said Berry, a neo-natal intensive care nurse.

Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, said SB161 is narrowly drawn to include only oncologists and has provisions banning cancer clinics from profiting from drugs sales. Utah, he said, is the only state that does not allow oncologists to dispense medication.

"This is not intended to be a profit center for doctors," said Bramble, who recently lost his father to cancer. "This is to provide better access for patients."

Several pharmacists, however, told the committee that doctors dispensing drugs would compromise patient safety.

Terry Bullard, an Intermountain Medical Center pharmacist, said 25 percent of the chemotherapy orders she receives are wrong.

"It takes only one tiny mistake for these patients to die suddenly," she said.

Pharmacists, Bullard said, play an essential role in patient care.

"Who is going to be the extra set of eyes looking for all the drug errors?" she said. "You would be eliminating a very, very important safety net in the name of inconvenience."

Dr. Bill Nibley, an oncologist with Utah Cancer Specialists, said Bramble's bill would eliminate barriers that patients encounter to obtaining specialized drugs that pharmacies often don't have on hand and aren't familiar with. Cancer treatment teams often include a pharmacist that help ensure patient safety, he said.

"We think this will improve the access, education and availability of these medications," he said.

The Utah Medical Association supports the bill.

"I think Sen. Bramble is on the right path with this," said Casey Hill, UMA government relations director. The measure establishes a "high enough wall" of standards for doctors, he said.

The business and labor committee unanimously approved HB161, which now moves to the Senate floor for debate.

E-mail: romboy@desnews.com Twitter: dennisromboy