Vermont § 4605 - Alternative drug or biological product selection

§ 4605. Alternative drug or biological product selection

• (a)(1) When a pharmacist receives a prescription for a drug that is listed either by generic
  name or brand name in the most recent edition of or supplement to the U.S. Department
  of Health and Human Services’ publication Approved Drug Products With Therapeutic
  Equivalence Evaluations (the Orange Book) of approved drug products, the pharmacist
  shall select the lowest priced drug from the list that is equivalent as defined by
  the Orange Book, unless otherwise instructed by the prescriber, or by the purchaser
  if the purchaser agrees to pay any additional cost in excess of the benefits provided
  by the purchaser’s health benefit plan if allowed under the legal requirements applicable
  to the plan, or otherwise to pay the full cost for the higher-priced drug. (2) When a pharmacist receives a prescription for a biological product, the pharmacist
  shall select the lowest-priced interchangeable biological product unless otherwise
  instructed by the prescriber, or by the purchaser if the purchaser agrees to pay any
  additional cost in excess of the benefits provided by the purchaser’s health benefit
  plan if allowed under the legal requirements applicable to the plan, or otherwise
  to pay the full cost for the higher priced biological product. (3) Notwithstanding subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection, when a pharmacist receives
  a prescription from a Medicaid beneficiary, the pharmacist shall select the preferred
  brand-name or generic drug or biological product from the Department of Vermont Health
  Access’s preferred drug list.