Illinois governor proposing new pharmacy rules after risky drug combinations go unnoticed

In response to a Chicago Tribune investigation, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner is a backing of series of changes to the state’s oversight of pharmacies, including sending “mystery shoppers” to make sure pharmacists are warning customers when their prescriptions may have adverse effects when taken together.

Such warnings haven’t been the norm, the Tribune found. Out of 255 pharmacies visited, 52 percent failed to mention the dangers when selling potentially dangerous medication combinations. In one instance, a CVS pharmacy sold a Tribune reporter the antibiotic clarithromycin and anti-cholesterol drug simvastatin, which, when taken together, could cause “a severe breakdown in muscle tissue and lead to kidney failure and death.”

But the pharmacist never mentioned this risk during the sale.

"The Tribune investigation revealed deficiencies in the state's current pharmacy system that put patients at risk. We tasked our state's regulator to examine our statutes and rules to determine what could be done," Gov. Rauner said in a statement. "These actions today represent additional safeguards that can be implemented quickly to hold pharmacists accountable in their duty to consult patients on potential drug interactions."

Rauner is proposing several rule changes for the state’s pharmacy practice law. For example, pharmacists would be required to counsel patients on risky combinations or side effects when buying a prescription for the first time or when the prescription changes. Under current law, pharmacists only have to ask if a customer has any questions about their medications.

Additionally, state regulators will put more emphasis on pharmacists catching these combinations. If they’re caught violating the standards by “mystery shoppers,” it will now be considered “unprofessional conduct.”

The Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) has come out in support of the rule changes.

"The physician members of the Illinois State Medical Society are dedicated to maintaining the safety of our patients in all contexts, including prescription drug safety," said ISMS President Thomas M. Anderson, MD. "We support the administration's efforts to increase the communication and counseling that occur when prescription drugs are dispensed at pharmacies. We are confident that the medical community can work with the administration and interested stakeholders in a collaborative manner to ensure the safest and most effective medication dispensing practices are employed in Illinois."