Rep. Phil Christofanelli (Photo by Gage Skidmore)
Lawmakers in Missouri, Maine consider bills to make HIV prevention meds easier to get
Associated Press
Lawmakers in the Missouri House have already approved legislation making it easier to get drugs to prevent HIV infection, while Maine legislators are considering a similar bill.
In Missouri, the proposal sponsored by Rep. Phil Christofanelli, a Republican from St. Peters, passed easily. It would allow people to go to pharmacies to obtain pre- and post-exposure drugs to prevent HIV infection, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
It was supported by 148 lawmakers from both parties on Monday, April 12, with seven Republicans voting “present.” The measure now goes to the Missouri Senate.
Christofanelli said he believes people should be able to access the drugs wherever it is most convenient because they can save lives.
Sen. Heather Sanborn
The bill would require pharmacists to distribute the drugs with the supervision of a licensed physician and follow strict protocols. Patients would have to follow up with a physician and receive a prescription to get more than a 30-day supply of the pre-exposure medication.
Christofanelli said he hopes big pharmacy chains will adopt the plan if it is approved by the Missouri Senate.
In Maine, lawmakers are considering a proposal to require health insurance providers to expand their coverage of HIV prevention drugs.
Democratic Sen. Heather Sanborn, of Portland, submitted the proposal, which was the subject of a hearing before the Maine Legislature’s Committee on Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services. Sanborn said her proposal would require state-regulated health insurance providers to cover at least one HIV prevention drug.
Sanborn’s proposal would also require at least one such drug to be available without prior authorization. She said it would also create a process in which some pharmacists could dispense up to 60 days of HIV prevention medication to someone who lacks a prescription from a doctor.
HIV prevention medications include drugs used as PrEP and PEP. Sanborn said, “We are incredibly fortunate to have highly effective medication that can not only treat HIV, but actually prevent someone from contracting it in the first place.”
The proposal would face more consideration in committee.
Sanborn has previously advocated for the Maine Insurance Code to be updated to prohibit the denial or limitation of life insurance coverage for people who take the medications.
