AB 839

Current law allows designated school personnel and authorized entities and

individuals who have completed a training program and school nurses to provide or

administer epinephrine auto-injectors to pupils and other individuals. Pupils are

also allowed under current law to possess and use an epinephrine auto-injector in

certain circumstances. Current law allows prescribers to prescribe epinephrine

auto-injectors in the name of the school or the name of the authorized entity or

individual. This bill adds prefilled syringes to the authorities granted for

prescription, possession, and administration of epinephrine auto-injectors in

current law. A “prefilled syringe” is defined in the bill as “a device that is approved

by the federal Food and Drug Administration, that contains a dose of epinephrine,

and that is used for the manual injection of epinephrine into the human body to

prevent or treat a life-threatening allergic reaction.”

The bill allows a health care provider with prescribing authority who is

employed by or under contract with the Department of Health Services to issue a

statewide standing order for the dispensing of epinephrine auto-injectors or

prefilled syringes for use by trained individuals. The bill also allows prescribers to

issue a standing order for the dispensing of epinephrine auto-injectors or prefilled

syringes for use by trained individuals. Under current law, certain prescribers are

allowed to issue standing orders for the dispensing of an opioid antagonist, and DHS

has issued a statewide standing order for the dispensing of naloxone, which is an

opioid antagonist.