TX rule will prescribe fewer potent drugs to kids

Children on Medicaid under the age of three would not be prescribed powerful anti-psychotic drugs without a special authorization, under new rules the state Health and Human Services Commission implemented last week. In response to widespread concerns about the number of impoverished Texas kids being prescribed drugs like Seroquel and Risperdal — medications that can have serious side effects in children — prescribing doctors would have to get a prior authorization from the state, a steep hurdle designed to limit use of the drugs. The changes to state policy, which took effect June 14, are "based on evidence-based clinical criteria and nationally recognized peer-reviewed information," said Stephanie Goodman, a spokeswoman for the HHSC.