Representatives Adam Mathews co-sponsors the Patient Protection Act Bill

LEBANON, OH --  This week, Representatives Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon) and Meredith Craig (R-Smithville) introduced House Bill 324, named the Patient Protection Act, legislation to protect Ohioans from unknowingly taking drugs that frequently cause severe, life-threatening effects in patients.

Under the proposed law, any drug that causes severe adverse effects in over 5% of patients would be subject to commonsense guardrails meant to ensure responsible care for the patient. These effects include death and life-threatening conditions such as sepsis, organ failure, and hemorrhaging or infection requiring hospitalization.

If a drug meets this threshold, a prescriber must conduct an in-person examination, inform the patient of the risks associated with the drug, and schedule a follow up visit with the patient prior to prescribing the drug.

"The Hippocratic Oath is to 'Do No Harm,' and with the proliferation of mail order medication, some drugs are severely injuring over one in twenty patients," Mathews said. "We can't stand by while unscrupulous actors take advantage of Ohioans."

“Telehealth has an important place in modern medicine, but when we’re talking about drugs that can send patients to the hospital, or worse, standards of care cannot take a back seat,” said Craig. “If a medication is known to cause life-threatening complications, it’s only common sense to require a face-to-face exam and a real conversation about the risks. Patient safety must come before convenience.”

To ensure an accurate and up to date list of drugs that meet these requirements is made available, the bill tasks the Ohio Department of Health with keeping an up-to-date list available to prescribers. The Director of Health, in collaboration with the Department of Insurance and State Medical and Pharmacy boards, will review insurance claims, patient reports and data from the United States Food and Drug Administration to maintain the list.

This bill now awaits a committee assignment and consideration in the House.

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