[Source: Health and Life Sciences Law Daily, November 14, 2007 - AHLA]
HealthDay (11/14, Reinberg) reports, "Experts at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are meeting Wednesday to hear arguments on whether or not pharmacists might someday bypass doctors and directly provide consumers with certain drugs that now require a prescription." If such a plan is adopted, "it would create a new class of drugs that could be sold by pharmacists 'behind-the-counter (BTC),'" and might include things like "birth control pills, cholesterol drugs, and migraine medicine." Pharmacists would be required to discuss purchases of these types of drugs with patients before dispensing them.
CNN (11/14, Smith) adds, "So far in the U.S., Plan B is the only prescription drug to switch to behind-the-counter status."
