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Roundtable Rx medication‑repository program seeks ongoing funding and limited purchasing authority
Summary
Committee received testimony on House File 1103 to provide ongoing funding and statutory clarifications for Roundtable Rx, the statewide medication repository; the sponsor asked for $900,000 per year and limited authority to purchase small quantities when donations fall short; the bill was laid over.
Representative Hemmingsen Yeager and testifiers described Roundtable Rx, Minnesota’s medication repository program, which accepts inspected medication donations and redistributes them to Minnesotans who cannot afford prescriptions.
Dr. Rowan Mann, representing Roundtable Rx, asked the committee for continued funding and two statutory clarifications: permission to purchase small quantities of medications when donations do not meet a patient’s need (for example, topping up a 14‑day antibiotic when only 10 days are donated) and authority for local repository partners to safely dispose of damaged or expired medications. Mann said the program has redistributed substantial donated medication and estimated the program has delivered nearly 200,000 days of medication to about 600 people and that state funding previously provided increased redistribution by 300%.
Dr. Cody Weiberg, former executive director of the Board of Pharmacy, testified he assisted with regulatory drafting and is available to answer technical questions. Multiple members asked implementation questions about inventory, safeguards against substitution of need and potential unintended incentives for pharmacies. Mann said Roundtable Rx prioritizes donated medications, operates with pharmacist oversight, partners with independent pharmacies and safety net providers, and aims to be a gap‑filling stop gap rather than a substitute for regular pharmacy supply.
Sponsor Hemmingsen Yeager requested $900,000 per year for operations and staffing to sustain and expand mail-order dispensing to reach rural communities; committee members praised the program’s bipartisan history and laid the bill over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
