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Ohio hearing on HB 12 seeks to expand access to off‑label drugs while protecting pharmacist conscience rights
Summary
At a House Health Committee hearing, sponsors defended HB 12 — the 'Jeff, David, Angie Right to Try Act' — saying it would let consenting patients access off‑label medications while protecting pharmacists and facilities that refuse to dispense on ethical or religious grounds; members raised concerns about disclosure, pharmacist clinical objections, and risks of misuse.
Representative Swearingen introduced House Bill 12, the "Jeff, David, Angie Right to Try Act," at a first hearing before the House Health Committee, saying the measure "ensures patients access to potentially life saving off label prescribed medications by their health care provider with their consent, while safeguarding the pharmacist's right to refuse dispensing any medication that conflicts with their religious or ethical beliefs."
Swearingen told the committee HB 12 would shield providers from penalties by state and local agencies for off‑label prescribing "absent gross negligence," while explicitly preserving civil malpractice liability if a patient were harmed. He said the bill was intended to restore the doctor‑patient relationship and allow clinicians flexibility in treatment choices, and noted several changes from last session's legislation, including the removal of emergency credentialing for…
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