March 19, 2021

Bill seeks to have SC doctors prescribe overdose drug when they give patients opioids

A bill headed through the S.C. Statehouse would require doctors to offer lifesaving overdose reversal drugs to some patients who might potentially need them, even as the largest physicians’ lobbying group in the state expresses concern the law would be an overreach.

If passed, Senate Bill 571 would mandate the state’s prescribers offer to send patients home with a prescription for Narcan, or a generic equivalent, if the patient meets certain criteria, such as a history of substance abuse.

Patients who are taking a dangerous combination of medications or who require a large prescription for opioids would also qualify for the reversal drugs. Read more.