Reducing Unused Medications Act of 2016

Bill: 114-s-2578
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]
Introduced: 2016-02-24
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Drug trafficking and controlled substances

Health information and medical records

Prescription drugs
Latest action: action_date: 2016-02-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Summaries:
action_date: 2016-02-24
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Reducing Unused Medications Act of 2016</b></p> <p>This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow a pharmacist to partially fill a prescription for a schedule II controlled substance (such as a prescription opioid painkiller) at the request of a prescribing practitioner or patient.</p> <p>A pharmacist must record the partial filling in the same manner as a full filling, update the record with each partially filled prescription, and notify the prescribing practitioner. The total quantity dispensed in partial fillings must not exceed the total quantity prescribed.</p> <p>The remaining portion of a partially filled prescription may be filled and must be exhausted prior to, or on the same date that such prescription, if fully filled, would have been exhausted.</p>

tv_txt: II 114th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 2578 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 24, 2016 Ms. Warren (for herself and Mrs. Capito ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To amend the Controlled Substances Act to permit certain partial fillings of prescriptions.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Reducing Unused Medications Act of 2016 . 2. Prescriptions Section 309(a) of the Controlled Substances Act ( 21 U.S.C. 829(a) ) is amended— (1) by inserting (1) In general .— before Except ; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (2) Partial filling of prescriptions (A) In general A prescription for a controlled substance in schedule II may be partially filled if— (i) it is requested by— (I) the practitioner that wrote the prescription by making a notation on the face of the written prescription, written record of the emergency oral prescription, or in the electronic prescription record; or (II) the patient; (ii) the pharmacist partially filling the prescription records the partial filling in the same manner as a filling of the prescription; (iii) the pharmacist partially filling the prescription updates the record each time the prescription is partially filled; (iv) the total quantity dispensed in all partial fillings does not exceed the total quantity prescribed; and (v) the pharmacist notifies the practitioner that wrote the prescription of each partial fill. (B) Remaining portions Remaining portions of a partially filled prescription— (i) may be filled; and (ii) must be exhausted prior to, or on the same date that such prescription, if fully filled, would have been exhausted. .