Bill > SB1790

This bill allows the Tennessee Department of Correction to create and update a list of approved prescription drugs, called a "formulary," for use in state correctional facilities. This formulary will guide which medications are available to inmates for pain management. Importantly, the bill mandates that non-opioid medications, which are drugs that relieve pain without affecting the body's opioid receptors and have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), should not be treated less favorably than opioid or narcotic drugs for pain relief when deciding what goes on the formulary. However, this doesn't prevent the department from prioritizing one non-opioid medication over another non-opioid medication, or one opioid medication over another opioid medication. This provision applies to any FDA-approved non-opioid pain medication, even before the department has specifically reviewed it for the formulary, and also covers medications provided through contracts with healthcare vendors for services within prisons.