PHOENIX, AZ – Sen. Nancy Barto, chair of the Arizona Senate’s Health and Human Services Committee, is reminding Arizonans of a bill she sponsored which protects the off-label use of medications during a public health emergency.
Barto’s bill, SB1416, was hailed by healthcare professionals who believe that drugs like Ivermectin, which has demonstrated effectiveness against the virus, have not been prescribed due to its off-label status.
Off-label prescribing is when a physician prescribes a drug that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved to treat a different condition.
Nancy Barto discusses a new bill protecting emergency use of certain drugs. #550KFYI #JamesHarris #Circus https://t.co/sl9e1A4RNP
— James T Harris (@JamesTHarris) August 9, 2021
Roughly one in five prescriptions are written for an off-label use, whether it’s a medication used for a condition that is not approved to treat, or a medication is dosed differently.
“We know how important early treatment and prevention is in healthcare,” said Senator Barto. “Expanding access to certain off-label medications during a pandemic can be life-saving in this fight, and physicians need every tool in the toolbox to appropriately treat patients without fear of losing their licenses.”
“What is not widely known yet is the decision by Governor Ducey to rescind Executive Order 2020-20 in early July,” said Barto. “That action lifted restrictions on the filling of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine. These drugs are widely available and affordable. It makes sense for Arizonans to have access to off-label uses, after consulting with their health professional.”
Barto says Arizona has been a leader in off-label use. In 2017, Arizona became the first state to allow pharmaceutical companies to communicate off-label treatment uses to health professionals and SB 1416 extends Arizona’s Free Speech and Practice Act protections to health professionals passed in 2016 (SB 1445).
Improvement in COVID figures right after the increase in the interest in ivermectin
Correlation isn’t always causation, but when the drug kills the virus in vitro, prevent the desease, reduce hospitalizations and reduce deaths, causation it’s the most likely explanation.
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— J Chamie (@jjchamie) August 1, 2021