(Columbus, OH) A Northwest Ohio lawmakers bill on epi-pens could move to the Ohio Senate floor today.
The Senate Health, Human Services, and Medicaid Committee is expected to hold its third and final hearing today on a bill being championed by Monclova Township Republican state rep Derek Merrin.
The Ohio House last May unanimously passed the bill, which would allow pharmacists to offer patients a cheaper or generic alternative to the brand name EpiPen, unless that brand is mandated by their physician. Merrin contends his bill would save parents hundreds of dollars for a life-saving medication.
Under current state law, if a physician issues a prescription for a branded epinephrine auto-injector, the pharmacist's hands are tied unless they work with the physician to get a new prescription for an alternative. But before hitting the Senate floor, the bill could be amended.