Will More Rxs Move to OTC or BTC?

Next week, the FDA has called a meeting to discuss moving more drugs to over-the-counter (OTC) or behind-the-counter (BTC) status. This means that you would no longer need a prescription.

What would this mean to us as a consumer:

• No more need to meet with your physician to get a prescription (new, refill, or renewal).
  • Is this good or bad?
  • Will this drive more use of “Dr. Google”?
  • Will this create an opportunity for more use of home monitoring and home tests?
  • Will this drive screenings at clinics?
• Many pharmacy plans don’t cover products that don’t require a prescription so this may change coverage rules.

Some of the drugs that have been proposed for discussion include:

• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Asthma
• Migranes
• Allergies

At some point, we’ll just end up with a pharmacy benefit that focuses on specialty drugs. Everything else will be generic, OTC, or BTC.