House approves pharmacy change requiring pharmacist notification for biosimilar substitutions after debate over access and safety

The House voted to pass Senate Bill 78, the Pharmacy Act amendment addressing biosimilar substitution, on March 14. Representative Barlow, the House sponsor, moved and secured adoption of Amendment #4 (shortening the notification timeframe), then delivered the sponsor presentation and fielded multiple questions about clinical safety and real‑world pharmacy operations.

"Basically a biosimilar is a drug that is produced through a biological process," Barlow said, describing a wide class of biological products from vaccines to monoclonal antibodies and explaining why these products differ from traditional generics. He argued the bill preserves patient safety by requiring pharmacists to notify prescribers when substituting a biosimilar, so physicians can track outcomes.

Colleagues cautioned that the substitute process could impede market access and increase costs. Representative Kennedy and Representative Gibson asked whether the bill's restrictions or notification requirement would limit patient access or slow cost‑saving substitutions; Barlow said pharmacists and retailers agreed to the notification process and that contact can be by call, email, text or fax to avoid delay.

Representative Noel moved the previous question to cut off further debate; the House closed debate and passed the substitute, recorded as 38 yay and 34 nay. The bill will be returned to the Senate for further consideration as amended.

What this means: Pharmacists may substitute biosimilars but must notify the prescribing clinician under the bill’s requirements; the statute also recognizes clinical exceptions and allows prescribers to write for a brand name to prohibit substitution.