N.D. House defeats bill that would have changed pharmacy ownership

From the Jamestown (ND) Sun:
North Dakota pharmacists and defenders of the state’s small towns came out on top Friday in the biggest battle of the 2009 Legislature.

The House soundly defeated a proposed repeal of the state’s 40-year-old law that requires pharmacies in the state be majority-owned by a pharmacist. House Bill 1440 went down on a 57-35 vote after an hour-long debate that at times got emotional.

“Trust the people of North Dakota,” said Rep. Jon Nelson, R-Rugby, who favored repeal and more choice for North Dakotans in where to shop for prescriptions.

“Let the people decide. Nobody’s forcing anyone to do anything different,” he said. ...more

Big drugstore operators take aim at N. Dakota law

From the Associated Press:
North Dakotans packed an auditorium on the state Capitol grounds Tuesday to debate a state law requiring pharmacies to have pharmacists as their majority owners. The law is under heavy fire from large retailers who say that if it's repealed, they can offer $4 prescriptions and lower drug costs.

North Dakota, where you can't get a prescription filled at a Walgreens, is the only state with such a law, state officials say.

The National Conference of State Legislatures found at least one other state requiring a percentage of pharmacist ownership but none as restrictive as North Dakota.

Republican state Rep. Jon Nelson of Rugby, a sponsor of a bill to repeal the ownership restriction, said it would give people better choices in buying prescription drugs and would help those who are uninsured and underinsured.

Nine-year-old Jakob Olson of Bismarck was one of the first to speak for the repeal. He said he has gone through seven surgeries, and has asthma and allergies, and said his parents have referred to the legislation as the "Jakob Bill." ...more

Group lobbies to change N.D pharmacy law

I didn't realize that these types of ownership restrictions still existed anywhere in the States. I wish the pharmacists luck, but they are fighting a battle that was lost a long time ago in most jurisdictions.

From the Grand Forks (ND) Herald:
Spencer Clairmont cringed when he saw a television ad a few weeks ago featuring people saying they were surprised that they could buy cheaper prescription drugs in Minnesota or other states than North Dakota.

The ad says a 45-year-old North Dakota law that requires drug stores to be majority-owned by pharmacists is keeping drug prices artificially high. If the state Legislature would overturn the law, it argues, residents would see cheaper prices because stores such as Wal-Mart, Target or grocery stores such as Hugo’s would be allowed to sell prescriptions.

The advertising campaign, which touts Wal-Mart’s $4 prescriptions, is the work of a group called North Dakotans for Affordable Health Care, funded mostly by Wal-Mart and Walgreen’s.

“Their advertisement saying they’re the cheapest doesn’t square with reality,” said the 56-year-old Clairmont. He and his wife, Bev, both pharmacists, own Walhalla Prescription Store in this Pembina County town of about 1,000, 100 miles north of Grand Forks. ...more

ND telepharmacy project expands across country

From the Associated Press:
As recently as three years ago, many elderly residents in this part of southeastern North Dakota were forced to order their medications by mail.

These days, customers have a real drugstore and can talk to a real person about their health needs — albeit via the Internet.

Thanks to the virtual pharmacy system that has been tested on the frozen prairie, the days of walking down to the general store for prescription drugs are returning to rural America.

"It's perfect," said Jim Williams, a longtime Arthur resident. "You can walk down there and it's done in a few minutes."

Most telepharmacies are staffed with registered pharmacy technicians, who usually need about two years of schooling and earn about $15 an hour in North Dakota. Some registered nurses also have been trained for the job.

The pharmacy technicians use remote cameras to contact pharmacists in another location and show them the original signed prescription, computer-generated label, stock bottle where the pills are stored and the bottle the patient will take home. Once the prescription is approved, patients have a mandatory private consultation with pharmacists through real-time video and audio.

"We can do most of the things the pharmacists do except give professional advice," said Jennifer Joyce, the pharmacy technician in Arthur. Joyce knows all of her patients on a first-name basis. ...more