The Florida House Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee yesterday passed legislation (CS/HB 159) sponsored by Representative Gallop Franklin (D-Tallahassee), to enlist licensed pharmacists in the healthcare army, working collaboratively with physicians in a strong partnership to save lives by reducing the number of adults with HIV.
“This legislation empowers pharmacists to use their talents as trusted healthcare professionals to actively engage in preventing the spread of HIV in our communities,”Representative Franklin said. “I am deeply grateful for my colleagues’ overwhelming support of this legislation to protect lives in Florida.”
According to the National Institutes of Health, PEP therapy is when people take “HIV medicines within 72 hours (3 days) after a possible exposure to HIV to prevent HIV infection. PEP should be used only in emergency situations.”
Representative Franklin’s legislation provides tools for licensed pharmacists to actively help adults exposed to HIV. Under the proposal, a pharmacist seeking to dispense HIV-PEP medications to an HIV-exposed adult also must enter a “written collaborative agreement” with a physician outlining specific terms and conditions for the pharmacist to:
- Screen an adult for HIV exposure and provide the results to that adult.
- Advise the patient should see a physician for further medical consultation and/or treatment.
- Dispense HIV-PEP medication prescribed by a licensed health care practitioner authorized by law to prescribe such treatment.
Representative Franklin’s HIV-PEP legislation’s next scheduled stop is in the Florida House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee.
