New Vending Machines To Dispense Prescription Drugs, USA

June 22, 2005

22 Jun 2005 Medical News Today

The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday examined new " ATM-like " vending

machines that some drugstores and grocery stores in California and

Virginia have installed or plan to install to dispense prescription

drugs. After customers fill an initial prescription with a

pharmacist, they can register to receive and pay for refills through

the machines, regardless of whether the pharmacy is open. Customers

can order refills online or by telephone, and a pharmacist fills

their prescriptions and places the packaged medications in the

machine.

Customers log on to the machine with a user name and password and can

pay for refills with a credit or debit card. To allow the use of the

machines, the California Board of Pharmacy and the Virginia Board of

Pharmacy have issued waivers of rules that require the presence of

pharmacists when prescription drugs are dispensed, and other state

pharmacy boards might issue similar waivers.

In California, the state pharmacy board has proposed a permanent rule

revision, on which the state Office of Administrative Law likely will

decide early next year, that would eliminate the need for such

waivers.

In addition, the Wisconsin Pharmacy Examining Board recently met with

two companies that distribute the machines as part of an effort to

improve access to prescription drugs for residents in rural areas.

Some Concerns

Some pharmacists and state regulators have raised concerns that

customers who use the machines might receive incorrect prescription

drugs. However, Bill Holmes -- president of DDN, which manufactures

Automated Pharmacy Machines -- said that the machines use bar code

and other technologies to avoid errors. " To date, they haven't

dispensed a single one inaccurately, " he said. Some pharmacists also

have raised concerns that the machines " cut out traditional face-to-

face consultations " with customers, the Journal reports. Ann

Wagner, vice president of pharmacy regulatory affairs for the

National Association of Chain Drug Stores, said, " There's a lot of

leeriness on the part of regulators and the fear that something like

this could replace the pharmacist " (Rundle, Wall Street Journal,

6/21).

" Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org kaisernetwork.org.

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