Title: California Considers Banning Flavored Medicine for Children
Subtitle: Proposed bill sparks debate over regulations and children’s accessibility to flavored medications
If you’re a parent, you know how hard it can be to get your kids to take medicine that tastes bad. However, an unintended consequence of a 2019 law in California may bring the longstanding practice of flavoring children’s prescription drugs into conflict not only with a national standard but also with the federal government.
A new bill introduced this session aims to rectify the situation by codifying that drug preparation “does not include… the addition of a flavoring agent to improve palatability.” This move is expected to have widespread implications for the approximately 3,000 pharmacies in California that currently offer flavored medications for children.
However, the California Board of Pharmacy is preparing to oppose the bill, despite a social media campaign (#MomsforFlavor) in favor of the measure and supporters who warn that enacting this change would add unnecessary regulatory red tape.
The California Board of Pharmacy was scheduled to discuss the issue on Tuesday and Wednesday but canceled due to a lack of quorum for debate to continue. The proposed bill, which was approved by the Assembly in March, is currently before the appropriations committee after going through some ups and downs in the Senate.
The 2019 law that initiated the controversy aimed to ensure that Californians received medications that met national health and safety standards, citing a multistate outbreak of fungal meningitis in 2012, which killed 64 people due to the unsafe composition of a steroid. The law required California pharmacists to prepare drugs in a way that complied with the rules outlined by the United States Pharmacopeia, a nonprofit organization that sets standards for how drugs are prepared.
The conflict arose when the United States Pharmacopeia updated its guidelines in November, clarifying that flavoring drugs fell within the scope of compounding drugs. Consequently, California, by law, is required to meet these updated drug preparation standards, which could further regulate the process of flavoring drugs and potentially deter pharmacists from offering the service altogether.
Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin, the author of the 2019 law, expressed her desire to find a solution that protects consumer safety while ensuring continued access to flavored drugs. Assemblyman Tom Lackey, a co-author of the bill, criticized the board’s opposition and emphasized that flavored medications cause no harm to patients.
The California Board of Pharmacy, while not providing any additional comment, is likely concerned about potential conflicts with federal requirements. The United States Pharmacopeia sets rules that can be enforced by both state agencies and the Federal Food and Drug Administration.
The proposed bill has ignited a heated debate between supporters advocating for better access to flavored medications for children and opponents emphasizing the need to adhere to national and federal standards. As the discussion continues, parents and healthcare providers are awaiting a resolution that considers both consumer safety and the palatability of medications for children.
[Source: CalMatters.org]