The Courier reporter wins award

COLUMBUS — The Courier reporter Leah Alsept won the 2024 Print Media Award at the Ohio Pharmacists Association's 146th Annual Conference Friday. Alsept's story, "Ohio bill would require dispensing of off-label drug scripts," from the Nov. 14, 2023 edition of The Courier, netted the local journalist the honor. "(Alsept) conveyed an important message to the public about proposed Ohio House Bill 73 and what it would mean for Ohio pharmacists," reads an email from Ohio Pharmacists Association sent to The Courier. Ohio HB 73, also called the Dave and Angie Patient and Health Provider Act, proposes to allow for health professionals to issue off-label prescriptions and would "generally require their dispensing," according to the text of the bill. Pharmacists have spoken out against the bill, as it appears the bill would strip them of their ability to refuse to fill off-label prescriptions without going through a lengthy review process. The FDA defines off-label prescribing as authorizing treatment "used for a disease or medical condition that it is not approved to treat," or prescribing a patient a substance "given in a different way, such as when a drug is approved as a capsule, but it is given instead in an oral solution," or "given in a different dose, such as when a drug is approved at a dose of one tablet every day, but a patient is told by their healthcare provider to take two tablets every day." HB 73 was passed by the Ohio House in June 2023, and was sent to the Senate and referred to committee in September 2023. It has sat in Senate committee since. The conference and awards lunch were held at the Hilton Columbus at Easton Friday afternoon.