Bill > S1165

This bill amends existing Massachusetts law to establish specific rules for dispensing certain cancer-related drugs, which are defined as controlled substances used to treat cancer, manage its side effects, or provide supportive care, and which require administration by injection in a clinical setting and cannot be easily self-administered. The bill prohibits individuals authorized to dispense controlled substances from directly delivering these cancer-related drugs to patients, their representatives, or their residences, with specific exceptions. These exceptions allow for direct delivery to a patient's residence if the patient is in a nursing home, residential care facility, or similar institution, or if the patient is a hospice patient or a client of a home health agency, provided the prescribing healthcare provider confirms the patient's status and that an employee of the hospice or home health agency will administer the drug. Furthermore, the Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Board of Registration in Pharmacy and a workgroup of clinical and pharmacy experts, will create regulations to identify cancer-related drugs that are too risky to dispense to a patient's residence, even under the exceptions, and will limit their dispensing to clinics, hospitals, or physician offices.