PROPOSED DRUG DATABASE RAISES RED FLAGS FOR LAWMAKERS

DES MOINES -- A plan by the Iowa Board of Pharmacy Examiners to establish a
computer system that would track prescriptions for controlled substances
came under fire Tuesday by state lawmakers and critics who said it would
invade the privacy of Iowa patients.

The pharmacy board wants Iowa to join close to 20 other states that are
tracking controlled substances in an effort to crack down on the abuse of
prescription drugs such as painkillers.

But some lawmakers compared the government-run system to "big brother,"
that could put patients' sensitive medical information in the wrong hands.

Sen. Jack Hatch, D-Des Moines, said a record of the prescriptions Iowans
take should not even be in the hands of state government.

"Many citizens and legislators are rightfully concerned about protecting
the confidentiality of their medical information and about the security of
the proposed database itself," Hatch said.

Now that the state is classifying meth ingredient pseudoephedrine as a
schedule V controlled substance, purchases of cold and allergy medicine
containing it would also be recorded by the proposed database.

Lloyd Jessen, the board's executive director, said they hope the have the
database running by March 2007.

"We want to try to get the program implemented," Lloyd said.

He said it keeps prescription drug addicts from "doctor shopping" or
"pharmacy shopping," by giving doctors and pharmacists access to the data
when they are serving a patient.

The federal government has already awarded the pharmacy board a $642,000
grant to establish the database. But it never got the green light from the
Iowa Legislature to do so, and the board's decision to move ahead anyway
irked some lawmakers.

A measure to establish the database was approved by the Iowa House earlier
this year. But the plan was never considered in the Iowa Senate after an
intense lobbying effort against it by medical groups sunk its chances
during the 2005 legislative session.

Rep. George Eichhorn, R-Stratford, voted for the measure in the House. He
said others supported the bill because they wanted to take action to fight
methamphetamine.

But Tuesday, Eichhorn complained the database would collect information on
law-abiding Iowans to catch a few.

"There's definitely some downsides, especially if you don't have the
protections in there for confidentiality," Eichhorn said.

Eichhorn said a legislative committee will have the chance to put the
database on hold until the full Iowa Legislature convenes in January. The
full Legislature could chose to nullify the board's action.

Groups representing Iowa doctors came forward Tuesday to register their
opposition to the plan for a database.

Frank Severino, a lobbyist for the Iowa Osteopathic Medical Association and
the Polk County Medical Society, said both groups are "extremely opposed"
to the plan.

Marty Ryan of the Iowa Civil Liberties Union raised concerns that law
enforcement officials would have access to the data even if they hadn't
obtained a search warrant or subpoena from a judge.

He also pointed out that state computer systems at Iowa State University
and the University of Iowa were the victims of hackers who were able to
glean personal data that included credit card information and social
security numbers.

"We have a lot privacy concerns on this issue," Ryan said.