Decongestant access depends on pharmacist judgment in Indiana

A new law in Indiana gives pharmacists the freedom of judgment to determine whether to dispense decongestants in an effort to interrupt the supply chain that produces methamphetamines. 

Typically, decongestants, like pseudoephedrine, are available to people without prescriptions. Now, thanks to the Indiana Pharmacists Alliance, physicians, pharmacists, and consumer advocacy groups will have integrated responsibility for these medications. The law goes into effect July 1.

The goal is to stop people from using the decongestant medicines as a source of methamphetamine.

"Generally speaking, pharmacists were all in favor of making it [pseudoephedrine] Rx only," Mark Triboletti, president of the Indiana Society of Health-System Pharmacists, said.

Senate Bill 80 encourages pharmacists to use their judgment to determine whether pseudoephedrine should be sold to specific patrons, especially if these customers don’t have an established relationship with the pharmacy or pharmacist. Health leaders hope to stop the abuse of meth that has been an ongoing problem in the U.S.

In 2013 and 2014, Indiana was the U.S. leader for enforcing incidents of clandestine methamphetamine laboratories. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) applauded this accomplishment in its 2015 report.