December 28, 2017

Prescription prenatal vitamins are important for both mothers and their babies. Prenatal vitamins are a critical factor in maintaining a healthy pregnancy, but not all prenatal vitamins are the same. Women deserve to choose the option that is right for them. Health care experts can play an important role in helping women determine which prenatal vitamin meets their needs. However, a proposed change to how vitamins are categorized may take health care providers out of the decision-making process, and this could have a devastating effect for women who are pregnant or trying to conceive.

Take Action to Protect Your Right to Rx Prenatal Vitamins

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Trusted Relationship with Health Care Provider

Every pregnancy is unique, and each expecting mother should be given specific nutritional recommendations, as determined by a prescriber evaluation. Prescription prenatal vitamins enable health care providers to deliver the gold standard of prenatal nutritional support to their patients.

For more than 35 years, health care providers have prescribed Prenate^® Vitamin Family products to their patients. Both patients and health care providers have relied on these and other prescription vitamins to help reduce the risks of birth defects and other negative pregnancy outcomes. With quality assurance and optimal nutrient levels, Prenate^® and other prescription prenatal vitamins support the health and well-being of mothers and babies.

By prescribing Prenate^® or other prescription prenatal vitamins, health care providers can more closely mange the nutritional intake of their patients, with assurance that both moms and their babies are getting the nutrients they need.

Proposed Changes to the Standard of Prenatal Nutritional Care

According to reports, nearly 50 percent of pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned, and only 11 percent of women ages 18 to 45 are aware that folic acid supplementation should begin before a woman tries to conceive.^1-4 This lack of awareness is particularly troubling in light of a proposed change in the health care system that could have a major effect on the affordability and accessibility of prescription prenatal vitamins.

First Databank, Inc. is the primary publisher of pharmaceutical information that is used to negotiate insurance reimbursement rates paid to pharmacies and other providers. Currently, prescription prenatal supplements are categorized as a prescription product. First Databank is shifting policy to code all prescription prenatal vitamins into a class historically associated with over-the-counter products. This could immediately decrease women’s access to and choice about their prenatal vitamins – products that are universally regarded as crucial components of prenatal care. If the “over-the-counter” status goes into effect, there is the potential for prenatal nutritional decisions to fall mostly on the patient.

Speak Up to Protect the Health of Moms and Babies

With minimal public awareness of the importance of folic acid and the rate of unplanned pregnancies in the U.S., it is critical for health care and insurance providers to ensure that all patients have access to prescription prenatal vitamins.

Take action below to protect women’s rights to prescription prenatal vitamins.

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