04/10/2014 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

        SB 162-HYDROCODONE PRESCRIPTION BY OPTOMETRISTS                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:08:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR HIGGINS  announced that the  first order of  business would                                                               
be  SENATE  BILL   NO.  162,  "An  Act   authorizing  a  licensed                                                               
optometrist  to  prescribe   a  pharmaceutical  agent  containing                                                               
hydrocodone."                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:09:41 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DAVID   SCOTT,  Staff,   Senator  Donald   Olson,  Alaska   State                                                               
Legislature, stated  that SB 162  did not change the  practice or                                                               
scope of  optometry; it only  made a specific exception  to allow                                                               
optometrists  to continue  prescriptions for  hydrocodone in  the                                                               
same manner as  they were currently.  He explained  that the U.S.                                                               
Food & Drug Administration (FDA)  was possibly going to propose a                                                               
change of listing  for hydrocodone from Schedule  III to Schedule                                                               
II,  which  would  no  longer allow  optometrists  in  Alaska  to                                                               
prescribe this medication.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  HIGGINS  reflected  that   the  extent  of  education  for                                                               
optometry allowed for  prescriptive rights.  He  pointed out that                                                               
[abuse  of] hydrocodone  was  an  issue in  the  country, and  he                                                               
opined  that the  health care  community was  carefully reviewing                                                               
the  issue to  better understand  and  alleviate the  abuse.   He                                                               
declared that no  specific health care group was  the problem for                                                               
the abuse.   He noted that the optometrists  had the pharmacology                                                               
training to prescribe hydrocodone,  and the Board of Pharmacology                                                               
was  recommending continuance  for  the prescription  capability.                                                               
He reported that  an FDA change of the drug  schedule would leave                                                               
it to  the individual states  to determine  restriction policies.                                                               
He  summarized that  the proposed  bill  allowed for  a four  day                                                               
regimen which limited the abuse  factor.  He relayed that several                                                               
states  had   unrestricted  rights,   whereas  Alaska   was  more                                                               
restrictive.     He  offered  his   recommendation  to   allow  a                                                               
continuance for prescription of hydrocodone.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON reported that there  had not been any cases                                                               
of [hydrocodone] abuse by optometrists in the last five years.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:14:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KELLER  moved  to  report  SB  162,  Version  28-                                                               
LS1390\A, out  of committee  with individual  recommendations and                                                               
the accompanying fiscal notes.   There being no objection, SB 162                                                               
was  moved from  the House  Health and  Social Services  Standing                                                               
Committee.