Pharmacists may get OK to treat flu, strep

Change could help ease ER overcrowding

Flu sufferers could be quickly diagnosed and treated by their local pharmacist, if a proposal before the state Legislature is enacted.

Bills in the state House and Senate would give pharmacists authority to conduct simple mouth swab tests for influenza and streptococcus and, depending upon the results, dispense prescription Tamiflu or antibiotics. Tests would give results in about 30 minutes.

Proponents, including the Florida Pharmacy Association, say rapid treatment will accomplish a number of public benefits. For most flu sufferers, the antiviral medicine Tamiflu can ease symptoms if administered in the first day or two after symptoms show up. Patients diagnosed with strep would more quickly start taking antibiotics and more quickly cease to be contagious.

Pharmacists would require additional training to give the test and treatment, and specific protocols would be approved by the state Board of Pharmacy. Training standards would be similar to those enabling pharmacists to administer flu vaccines, said Suzanne Wise, president of the Florida Pharmacy Association.

The quick test wouldn’t be for everyone. In Minnesota, which legalized treatment and testing by pharmacists, people with certain conditions are ineligible, and similar exceptions would likely be put in place in Florida, said the bill’s House sponsor, Rep. Rene Plasencia, a Republican representing parts of Brevard and Orange counties. People ineligible in Minnesota are pregnant or nursing, or have asthma, heart failure, compromised immune systems, renal disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Plasencia said.

Other organizations favoring the bill are the Florida Retail Federation, the Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the Florida Independent Pharmacy Network, said Michael Jackson, the Florida Pharmacy Association’s vice president and CEO.

The bill was advanced by a 12-2 vote on Jan. 16 by the House Health Quality Subcommittee and referred to the Health and Human Services Committee, which has not yet scheduled a hearing. A Senate version has not yet been scheduled for a committee hearing.

Opponents include the Florida Medical Association and the Florida Academy of Family Physicians.

Speaking against the proposal on behalf of the Florida College of Emergency Physicians, Dr. Damian Caraballo, a Tampa-based emergency physician, said flu-like symptoms can indicate a large number of