SB192

Senate Bill 192 amends Arkansas law regarding step therapy protocols to promote the use of biosimilar medical products. The bill includes legislative findings that biosimilar products meet FDA standards for quality, safety, and efficacy and that increasing access to them can reduce prescription drug costs. The primary purpose of the legislation is to eliminate barriers to accessing biosimilar drugs and to promote the potential cost savings they offer to consumers. It modifies Arkansas Code § 23-79-2104(h) to explicitly include biosimilar medical products within the existing framework governing step therapy protocol exceptions. The bill clarifies that health insurers and utilization review organizations may require patients to try these products, provided they comply with established exception request procedures. It also preserves the authority of healthcare providers to prescribe drugs they determine to be medically necessary.