February 5, 2009
 | DANCER PHARMACY NOTIFICATION BILL |
Legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Ronald Dancer that would require pharmacists to include on prescription drug labels the name of the brand name drug and the generic drug when a generic drug is dispensed, was approved by the General Assembly today.
“This consumer protection legislation will help alleviate any confusion or misinterpretation regarding generic and brand name prescriptions,” explained Dancer, R-Ocean, Burlington, Monmouth, and Mercer. “When it comes to something as important as medications, consumers should be fully informed about the drug products they are receiving. So often people pick up their prescriptions and are confused because the name on the bottle is different than what was written on the prescription. This can be misleading and cause people to think they received the wrong medication.”
Under current law, unless the prescribing physician explicitly states that there shall be no generic substitution when transmitting a prescription over the phone, or checks the “do not substitute” box on the Rx pad, then a generic product must be dispensed if it would result in a lower cost to the consumer.
The bill approved today, A-2030, will ensure that customers know the name of both the generic drug used and its brand name counterpart.
