Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024
A. Given the
current public health emergency relative to the misuse and abuse of opioid
derivatives, public health officials have strongly recommended the widespread
availability of naloxone and other opioid antagonists to addicts and their
caregivers as well as first responders in the community.
B. For as long as naloxone and other opioid
antagonists remain classified as prescription drugs by the federal Food and
Drug Administration, pharmacists must secure a prescription or order from a
prescriber with the legal authority to prescribe the drug product in order to
dispense or distribute the drug product.
C. The Louisiana Legislature has adopted a
number of laws designed to facilitate the distribution and dispensing of
naloxone and other opioid antagonists beyond the person who would need the
medication on an emergent basis to manage an opioid-related drug overdose, more
specifically to first responders as well as caregivers and family and friends
of potential patients.
1. Act 253 of the 2014
Legislature authorized prescribers to issue prescriptions for naloxone and
other opioid antagonists to first responders, and further, authorized
pharmacists to recognize such prescriptions as legitimate orders for the
dispensing and distribution of naloxone and other opioid antagonist drug
products, and further, authorized first responders to have and hold those drug
products ready for administration in emergent conditions to manage
opioid-related drug overdoses.
2.
Act 192 of the 2015 Legislature authorized medical practitioners to prescribe
naloxone or another opioid antagonist without having previously examined the
individual to whom the medication would be administered, but only under certain
conditions specified in the legislation, including the requirement for the
prescriber to provide the recipient of the drug with all training and education
required for the safe and proper administration of the drug product.
3. Act 370 of the 2016 Legislature authorized
medical practitioners to issue nonpatient-specific standing orders to
pharmacists authorizing the distribution of naloxone and other opioid
antagonists to anyone who might be in a position to assist a patient in the
emergent management of an opioid-related drug overdose, but only in compliance
with these rules.
a. A nonpatient-specific
standing order for the facilitated distribution of naloxone or other opioid
antagonist issued by a medical practitioner licensed by the state of Louisiana
shall expire one year after the date of issuance.
b. A Louisiana-licensed pharmacist may
distribute naloxone or other opioid antagonist according to the terms of the
nonpatient-specific standing order issued by a Louisiana-licensed medical
practitioner until the expiration date of the standing order No pharmacist
shall distribute naloxone or other opioid antagonist pursuant to a standing
order more than one year after the date of issuance of the standing
order
c. Before releasing the
naloxone or other opioid antagonist drug product to the recipient, the
pharmacist shall verify the recipients knowledge and understanding of the
proper use of the drug product, including, at a minimum:
i. techniques on how to recognize signs of an
opioid-related drug overdose;
ii.
standards and procedures for the storage and administration of the drug
product; and
iii. emergency
follow-up procedure including the requirement to summon emergency services
either immediately before or immediately after administering the drug product
to the individual experiencing the overdose.
d. To comply with the recordkeeping
requirements found elsewhere in the boards rules, the pharmacist shall attach a
copy of the standing order to the invoice or other record of sale or
distribution, and further, shall store these transaction documents with the
other distribution records in the pharmacy.
AUTHORITY NOTE:
Promulgated in accordance with
R.S.
37:1182.
