from the transcript of the Public Health Committee Public Hearing of February 6, 2009 - testimony on Senate Bill 757, "AN ACT CONCERNING THE FILLING OF PRESCRIPTIONS FOR ANTIEPILEPTIC DRUGS.

To prohibit a pharmacy upon the initial filling or renewal of a prescription for the treatment of epilepsy or prevention of seizures from substituting an antiepileptic drug or formulation of an antiepileptic drug, brand name or manufacturer of a generic name using the National Drug Code system without first obtaining the consent of the patient's practitioner to do so."

REP. BOUKUS: Good morning everyone. I have never sat in on a public hearing for Public Health before, so this has been an eye opener for me.

Senator Harris, Representative Ritter and Giegler and everyone else here on this committee, it's a pleasure to be here. I'm here to support you in your Raised Bill 757 on behalf of my young constituent that I meet Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays, who takes these drugs that we're very concerned about, prescriptions for antiepileptic drugs.

For me, this is kind of a no brainer. You got the doc -- by the way, you all look pretty healthy. I take a pill once in a while. And I would be absolutely fit to be tied if someone changed the medication that was given to me by a doctor that I trust to give the medication based on -- me, personally, I like to think medications given on the patient individually for whatever symptoms they have. And I love my pharmacies. We've got loads of them, but I don't want decisions being made after I leave my doctor's office.

So with that, I have to say that I support you, and absolutely will support you on this, as we go further. And I invite pharmacies to come and see me if there's something that I'm missing here because you know that as Legislators we like both sides of the story. But on behalf of my constituent and behalf of all those people who have these prescriptions altered generically from one brand to another, sometimes the compounds are not exactly alike, and I will not protest to be an expert in this field, but I wouldn't want to have a child, or I wouldn't want my prescription to be changed, and then, God forbid, my mood would change, or I would have some kind of a medical problem based on that.

"REP. BOUKUS: Good morning everyone. I have never sat in on a public hearing for Public Health before, so this has been an eye opener for me.

Senator Harris, Representative Ritter and Giegler and everyone else here on this committee, it's a pleasure to be here. I'm here to support you in your Raised Bill 757 on behalf of my young constituent that I meet Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays, who takes these drugs that we're very concerned about, prescriptions for antiepileptic drugs.

For me, this is kind of a no brainer. You got the doc -- by the way, you all look pretty healthy. I take a pill once in a while. And I would be absolutely fit to be tied if someone changed the medication that was given to me by a doctor that I trust to give the medication based on -- me, personally, I like to think medications given on the patient individually for whatever symptoms they have. And I love my pharmacies. We've got loads of them, but I don't want decisions being made after I leave my doctor's office.

So with that, I have to say that I support you, and absolutely will support you on this, as we go further. And I invite pharmacies to come and see me if there's something that I'm missing here because you know that as Legislators we like both sides of the story. But on behalf of my constituent and behalf of all those people who have these prescriptions altered generically from one brand to another, sometimes the compounds are not exactly alike, and I will not protest to be an expert in this field, but I wouldn't want to have a child, or I wouldn't want my prescription to be changed, and then, God forbid, my mood would change, or I would have some kind of a medical problem based on that.

So I think the more we take care of ourselves, the more responsible we are for ourselves, and the more we know about what we're putting in our bodies and in the bodies of the people we care for, that it makes a big difference. So as we go along, I'm short, I'm sweet on this, please let me help you and support you any way I can.

Thank you."



REP. BOUKUS: Good morning everyone. I have never sat in on a public hearing for Public Health before, so this has been an eye opener for me.

Senator Harris, Representative Ritter and Giegler and everyone else here on this committee, it's a pleasure to be here. I'm here to support you in your Raised Bill 757 on behalf of my young constituent that I meet Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays, who takes these drugs that we're very concerned about, prescriptions for antiepileptic drugs.

For me, this is kind of a no brainer. You got the doc -- by the way, you all look pretty healthy. I take a pill once in a while. And I would be absolutely fit to be tied if someone changed the medication that was given to me by a doctor that I trust to give the medication based on -- me, personally, I like to think medications given on the patient individually for whatever symptoms they have. And I love my pharmacies. We've got loads of them, but I don't want decisions being made after I leave my doctor's office.

So with that, I have to say that I support you, and absolutely will support you on this, as we go further. And I invite pharmacies to come and see me if there's something that I'm missing here because you know that as Legislators we like both sides of the story. But on behalf of my constituent and behalf of all those people who have these prescriptions altered generically from one brand to another, sometimes the compounds are not exactly alike, and I will not protest to be an expert in this field, but I wouldn't want to have a child, or I wouldn't want my prescription to be changed, and then, God forbid, my mood would change, or I would have some kind of a medical problem based on that.



REP. BOUKUS: Good morning everyone. I have never sat in on a public hearing for Public Health before, so this has been an eye opener for me.

Senator Harris, Representative Ritter and Giegler and everyone else here on this committee, it's a pleasure to be here. I'm here to support you in your Raised Bill 757 on behalf of my young constituent that I meet Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays, who takes these drugs that we're very concerned about, prescriptions for antiepileptic drugs.

For me, this is kind of a no brainer. You got the doc -- by the way, you all look pretty healthy. I take a pill once in a while. And I would be absolutely fit to be tied if someone changed the medication that was given to me by a doctor that I trust to give the medication based on -- me, personally, I like to think medications given on the patient individually for whatever symptoms they have. And I love my pharmacies. We've got loads of them, but I don't want decisions being made after I leave my doctor's office.

So with that, I have to say that I support you, and absolutely will support you on this, as we go further. And I invite pharmacies to come and see me if there's something that I'm missing here because you know that as Legislators we like both sides of the story. But on behalf of my constituent and behalf of all those people who have these prescriptions altered generically from one brand to another, sometimes the compounds are not exactly alike, and I will not protest to be an expert in this field, but I wouldn't want to have a child, or I wouldn't want my prescription to be changed, and then, God forbid, my mood would change, or I would have some kind of a medical problem based on that.