FDA: Some Rx Drugs May Become Available Without Seeing a Doctor

TUESDAY, July 17, 2018 — A new draft guideline from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggests Americans could get widely used prescription medicines for cholesterol, high blood pressure, asthma, and migraine headaches without having to see a doctor.

The FDA says patients could use a mobile-phone app to help determine if they’re able to obtain a medication without a prescription.

“Our hope is that the steps we’re taking to advance this new, more modern framework will contribute to lower costs for our health care system overall and provide greater efficiency and empowerment for consumers by increasing the availability of certain products that would otherwise be available only by prescription,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., said in a statement.

Gottlieb also said a similar approach could be used for the opioid overdose antidote naloxone. While naloxone is available without a prescription in most states, there are reports of limited access to the medicine.

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Posted: July 2018

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