SLS 16RS-2295 ORIGINAL
2016 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 87
BY SENATOR JOHNS
PHARMACISTS. Requests the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy to study and make
recommendations regarding the use of the terms "specialty drug" and "specialty pharmacy".
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To urge and request the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy to study and make recommendations
3 regarding the use of the terms "specialty drug" and "specialty pharmacy".
4 WHEREAS, the legislature has charged the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy with the
5 authority and responsibility of regulating the profession and practice of pharmacy in the
6 interest of the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of Louisiana; and
7 WHEREAS, the board accomplishes its mission through two broad objectives – to
8 restrict the entry into the practice of pharmacy to those persons meeting the minimum
9 qualifications for licensure and to monitor and regulate the professional practice of its
10 licensees to ensure their compliance with the laws and rules governing the practice of
11 pharmacy; and
12 WHEREAS, in recent years the term "specialty drug" has become one of the fastest
13 growing drug categories with no clear and consistent definition of the term; and
14 WHEREAS, defining the term "specialty drug" can be a challenge as each key
15 stakeholder has a different perspective and different interpretation of what is encompassed
16 by this term; and
17 WHEREAS, although the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services defines
18 "specialty drug" as a drug costing more than six hundred dollars per month, there is no
Page 1 of 2 SCR NO. 87
SLS 16RS-2295 ORIGINAL
1 consistent definition among the United States Food and Drug Administration, employers,
2 health plans, pharmacy benefit managers, other health care stakeholders, or even in
3 Louisiana law defining "specialty drug"; and
4 WHEREAS, use of the term "specialty pharmacy" has also increased in recent years
5 without the benefit of a clear and concise definition; and
6 WHEREAS, in general, a "specialty pharmacy" may be considered a pharmacy that
7 has been created to manage the handling and service requirements of specialty
8 pharmaceuticals (drugs), including dispensing, distribution, reimbursement, case
9 management, and other services specific to patients with rare or chronic diseases; and
10 WHEREAS, the uncertainty, inconsistent, and unregulated use of the terms
11 "specialty drug" and "specialty pharmacy" in Louisiana can create obstacles that prevent
12 patient access to much needed medications.
13 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
14 urge and request the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy to study and make recommendations
15 regarding the use of the terms "specialty drug" and "specialty pharmacy" and whether
16 revisions to present laws, rules or regulations of the state are necessary to ensure that the
17 terms are consistently used in Louisiana in such a way as to not inhibit patient access.
18 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy submit a
19 written report of its findings, together with any recommendations in the form of proposed
20 legislation, to the Legislature of Louisiana no later than February 1, 2017.
21 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
22 Louisiana Board of Pharmacy.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Christine Arbo Peck.
DIGEST
SCR 87 Original 2016 Regular Session Johns
Urges the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy to study and make recommendations regarding the
use of the terms "specialty drug" and "specialty pharmacy".
Page 2 of 2