OTC Sales of Needles and Syringes Should Be Permitted, but with Safeguards

Patients in Pennsylvania should be able to buy needles and syringes without a prescription, as they can in many other states. 

The Pennsylvania Medical Society, however, believes regulations should also ensure that drug users and others don’t abuse this new availability.  

Currently, the Society has taken no position on proposed regulations from the state Board of Pharmacy that would allow OTC sales of needles and syringes. However, the Society will communicate concerns to the pharmacy board, appropriate regulatory agencies, the attorney general, and legislators, that the regulations must ensure that: 

  • OTC sales don’t increase the number of intravenous drug users, pharmacies provide educational materials to deter IV drug use, and drug paraphernalia laws be to accommodate OTC sales.
  • Syringe exchange programs are bolstered.
  • Insurers are mandated to preserve reimbursement for diabetics and other medical conditions requiring injected medications.
  • Syringes are kept in the prescription area of the pharmacy.
  • No age limit or quantity limit is placed on OTC sales.
  • The experiences of other states with such OTC sales should be studied.

Last Updated: 10/1/2007
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