Indiana bill: Better, but still awful

Last week we told you about a bill in the Indiana Senate’s Committee on Health and Provider Services, SB 282, being pushed by big drugmakers and aimed at limiting or hobbling pharmacy compounding in the state. 

The latest: The bill passed out of the committee, but with some significant changes — “amendments” — that give the bill a much narrower scope. 

By “narrower,” we mean the new version affects only the compounding of GLP-1 weight loss drugs, rather than all compounded medications. Sweet deal for Indiana-based GLP-1 manufacturer Eli Lilly, no? 

We’ll sound our own horn here: That narrowing of the bill is largely the result of principled opposition APC helped coordinate at the committee’s hearing last week; APC Board Chair Philip Smyth even testified against it in front of the senators. 

But just because it’s not as broad a bill as the pharma companies were pushing for doesn’t mean SB 282 isn’t still problematic. At its core, it would still add unnecessary and counterproductive bureaucracy to compounding, and it wouldn’t do a thing to actually help or protect patients. In fact, it would likely deprive patients of access to compounded GLP-1s

You can bet we’re working to defeat the bill, and at the same time we hope to be able to help the Hoosiers fight the real issues like the counterfeit meds and bad actors who hurt patients and providers alike.