KOTOWSKI PROTECTS PATIENTS FROM MEDICATION-SWITCHING

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KOTOWSKI PROTECTS PATIENTS FROM MEDICATION-SWITCHING

SPRINGFIELD—State Senator Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge) is sponsoring a bill that will protect patients from the dangerous practice of medication-switching.

Medication-switching is when an insurance company or pharmacy changes a patient’s medication from a brand-name drug to a generic or from one generic to another without consulting the patient or doctor. In many cases, this practice has no adverse consequences, but for some, it can result in serious medical reactions, injury, and other serious problems. Senator Kotowski, who suffers from epilepsy, introduced the legislation after he received generic medication his doctor had not prescribed.

Senate Bill 2060 requires pharmacists to inform both the patient and doctor whenever a lower cost generic drug can be substituted for a brand-name or higher-priced generic.

"The decision on the right prescription ultimately should be made by the person with the medical degree who knows his or her patient and their history and needs," said Kotowski. "I do think there is an important place in the spectrum of healthcare for low-cost generics to manage certain conditions, especially in these challenging economic times, but only with a doctor’s concurrence."

Generic medications must, by law, contain the same active ingredients as their brand-name counterparts, but inactive ingredients vary from generic to generic. Inactive ingredients can affect how the body absorbs a medication’s active ingredients. For patients who suffer from epilepsy and similar conditions, that can make all the difference in the world. Another victim of drug-switching, Michelle Chapman of Sullivan, suffered a series of break-through seizures that incapacitated her for weeks and ultimately cost her a job.

To protect Michelle and all other Illinoisans, Kotowski wants to ensure that patients only receive the specific medications their doctors prescribe.

"I got lucky and noticed the switch before I took the new drug," said Senator Kotowski. "Now I want to make sure that Illinois residents don’t have to rely on luck to stay well."

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