House Approves Bill Making Insulin Available Without Prescription

"This commonsense change brings Indiana in line with the rest of the country and makes insulin more accessible.”

(Indianapolis, Ind.) - The House of Representatives advanced legislation Thursday sponsored by State Rep. Cindy Kirchhofer (R-Beech Grove) that would remove barriers for those in need of insulin.

According to Kirchhofer, this proposal would ensure insulin-dependent Hoosiers could obtain this critical medicine without a prescription. Under current law, insulin can only be purchased with a prescription, and pharmacists caught knowingly selling the drug to a person without a prescription could be charged with a felony and face jail time. 

“It should not be difficult to purchase life-saving medicine like insulin,” said Kirchhofer, chair of the House Public Health Committee. “Because insulin is typically needed daily, gaps could occur between obtaining a prescription and the time a supply runs out, forcing some to go dangerous periods of time without this vital medicine. This commonsense change brings Indiana in line with the rest of the country and makes insulin more accessible.”

This measure would allow pharmacies to sell synthetic human insulin, more commonly known as over-the-counter insulin, without a prescription. Kirchhofer said this could make insulin more affordable because those most in need are usually uninsured, and over-the-counter insulin is less expensive. Many pharmacies across the country already sell over-the-counter insulin options that could be sold to Hoosiers in Indiana. 

This bill can now be considered by the governor as a new law.