CONCORD — A pharmacist may fill a new prescription for the controversial COVID-19 treatment ivermectin from a physician’s “standing order,” under legislation that narrowly cleared a key committee Monday.
The 11-9 vote of the House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee for HB 1022 was the second by the panel in response to the drug.
First intended as an anti-parasitic for animals, ivermectin has become an internet sensation among many Americans using it to treat COVID-19.
Supporters said this measure will guarantee that Granite Staters get the drug from health care providers rather than animal feed stores or foreign countries.
“What this comes down to is harm reduction,” said Rep. Erica Layon (R-Derry). “People are seeking it out, and I would prefer people have available to them ivermectin produced in FDA-approved facilities.”
The bill requires that patients receive a detailed information sheet on the drug, including instructions for what to do if they have an adverse reaction.
Rep. Gary Merchant (D-Claremont), president of the New Hampshire Board of Pharmacy, said most of his peers will not stock ivermectin, with or without this law.
“Even though the drug may be safe, it still needs to be based on guidance that was vetted and built on consensus,” Merchant said.
‘Practicing medicine’
Rep. Gary Woods (D-Bow), former president of the New Hampshire Medical Society, said the Legislature has acted rashly on medical issues in the past, trying to get ahead of science to embrace experimental treatments.
“I don’t think the Legislature should be practicing medicine, which is what this does,” Woods said.
Woods recounted how lawmakers in 1993 passed insurance coverage for bone marrow transplants for breast cancer, only to learn a short time later that many medical experts thought the surgery was often too risky.
“Here we are trying to legislate something that circumvents that very process. I think that’s the wrong approach,” Woods said.
Rep. Leah Cushman (R-Weare), said ivermectin is a proven safe drug that residents in many countries can get without a prescription.
“This is something that is needed quickly, as we don’t know what the fall is going to bring,” Cushman said. “This doesn’t compel any pharmacists to agree to this.”
FDA’s position
Ivermectin has been approved by the FDA for humans in tablet form to treat some parasitic worms and as a topical application for head lice and skin irritations.
Its use is not authorized or approved by the FDA for prevention or treatment of COVID-19. The FDA’s website cautions that the drug “has not been shown to be safe or effective for these indications.”
The FDA has warned, “There’s a lot of misinformation around, and you may have heard that it’s OK to take large doses of ivermectin. It is not OK.”
Last month, the same committee approved a bill (HB 1466) to make it easier for health care providers to prescribe drugs such as ivermectin for “off-label use.”
Rep. Betty Gay (R-Salem) said she pursued that bill after learning local pharmacies were refusing to fill patient requests for ivermectin.
This second bill would prevent a health care provider from being disciplined for using off-label drugs under certain circumstances.
Doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants would be protected as long as prescribing decisions were based on “sound, scientific medical evidence” or the health care provider had the signed informed consent of the patient who wanted the drug.
The bill subjects providers to the same “standard of care” in using these drugs as they have in prescribing medications for their labeled use.
