Texas doctors sue state agencies to dispense medication directly to patients

Two Texas doctors are suing the Texas State Board of Pharmacy and the Texas Medical Board to lift a ban that prevents physicians from dispensing medication directly to their patients.

The civil lawsuit, which was filed in Travis County state district court on Thursday, seeks to allow all doctors in Texas to do what is currently legal in 45 states and Washington D.C.

In Texas, only doctors who work in rural areas and more than 15 miles from a pharmacy are allowed to dispense medication directly to patients. That means only eight of the state’s almost 65,000 doctors are allowed to do so, said the Institute for Justice, a nonprofit libertarian law firm that is bringing the suit.

Additionally, doctors can dispense directly a 72-hour supply of medication or give out free samples they get from pharmaceutical companies.

Read more: https://www.statesman.com/news/20190627/texas-doctors-sue-state-agencies-to-dispense-medication-directly-to-patients