Sen. Claxton introduces bill to help Mainers in need access medications at affordable costs

AUGUSTA – On Thursday, May 20, Sen. Ned Claxton, D-Auburn, introduced a bill that would create a medication donation and re-dispensing program in Maine. The bill, LD 1584, “An Act To Make Donated Medicines Available to Maine Patients at an Affordable Cost,” was the subject of a public hearing before the Legislature’s Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee.

“I have long been dismayed by the amount of perfectly good and often unopened medication that goes to waste,” said Sen. Claxton, who is a retired physician. “If someone is sent a month’s supply of a medicine and it becomes necessary to change the dose or the medicine, all of the unused portion, which has already been paid for, goes back to the pharmacy to be destroyed. Instead of destroying unused medications, we can actually re-dispense it to folks across Maine who might have trouble affording that same medication at sticker price. This is a common sense bill that will remove these drugs from our waste stream and help those in need at the same time.”

LD 1584 would create the Medicine Donation and Redispensing Program. Individuals, organizations and manufacturers would be able to donate unused medications to participating businesses or non-profit organizations, which could then be re-dispensed to residents who qualify to receive them. The Department of Health and Human Services would be responsible for setting rules for the program and contracting with non-profits to administer the program.

The bill faces further action in committee.

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