Drug Access Act of 2001

The Drug Access Act of 2001 (H.R. 2740) was designed to make it easier for charitable healthcare providers to provide free medication samples to patients in need. The bill proposed changing federal law to allow clinics and other charitable entities to receive donated drug samples from healthcare providers or other charities, provided the medication remained in its original, unopened packaging.

For everyday citizens, this legislation aimed to increase the availability of free prescription medications at community clinics and safety-net providers. To ensure patient safety, the bill required that all donated samples be inspected by a licensed pharmacist or doctor to verify they were not expired, tampered with, or mislabeled before being dispensed. While the bill was introduced in the House of Representatives, it did not advance past the committee stage to become law.