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Roundtable Rx seeks $900,000 a year to expand Minnesota medication repository and dispensing services
Summary
Roundtable Rx, Minnesota’s medication repository program, asked the committee for continued funding and minor statutory clarifications to allow buying small quantities to fill gaps and to permit safe disposal by local repository partners; committee laid the bill over for possible omnibus inclusion.
Representative Hemmingson Yeager presented House File 11 03 to provide ongoing funding and statutory clarifications for Roundtable Rx, the statewide medication repository program. The sponsor requested $900,000 per year for operations, pharmacy staffing and distribution expansions including planned mail order services.
Dr. Rowan Mann, representing Roundtable Rx, described the program’s growth since its 2020 start and said donated medications have been redistributed to hundreds of Minnesotans: "Since its founding, the program has received more than $3,700,000 worth of medication donations...provided nearly 600 Minnesotans with nearly 200,000 days' worth of medication," Mann said.
Mann asked for two statutory clarifications: authority to purchase small quantities of medication from wholesalers when donations fall short (for example, a patient needs a 14‑day antibiotic supply and donations provide only 10 days) and clear permission for local repository partners to safely dispose of damaged or expired drugs.
Dr. Cody Wyberg, former executive director of the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy, testified about regulatory drafting and availability to answer technical questions. Representatives and committee members asked about safeguards against creating a perverse incentive for providers to under‑stock medicines and about pricing if Roundtable Rx purchases small quantities. Mann said the program prioritizes donations, operates as a stopgap safety network and intends to partner with existing purchasers or wholesalers to obtain small supplemental supplies at reasonable prices.
Witnesses and members emphasized the program’s two principal benefits: improving access to needed medications for people who cannot afford them, and keeping viable medications out of the waste stream. Representative Hemmingson Yeager said state funding previously drove a 300% increase in redistributed medications and supported establishing a dispensing pharmacy and mail order services.
The committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill.
