Associated Press

The North Dakota chapter of the American Cancer Society is looking at ways to give unused cancer drugs to people who cannot afford them.

Director Deb Knuth said the leftover drugs normally are thrown away, and she hopes a program can be set up to give them to others who need them. Other states have similar programs, she said.

"We have taken a look at those plans, and their success rate is phenomenal," Knuth said.

She said she is working with pharmacies and other groups to develop a program in North Dakota.

Howard Anderson, director of the state Board of Pharmacy, said it has been difficult to find out who has benefited from programs in the half a dozen states that currently have them.

"It's certainly conceptually a great idea, but the implementation sometimes seems to be a little more difficult," he said.

Anderson said for unused drug donation programs to work, "you have to find the people - either practitioners or pharmacists - who want to get involved with that, keep the proper track (of the drugs). It's a lot of work."

Nursing homes and pharmaceutical companies have been slow to volunteer for the program in Ohio, officials in that state say. One state lawmaker said earlier this year that there is a fear of liability, despite the fact that the legislation that created the program shields participants from criminal or civil liability for problems.

Anderson said officials will explore whether such a program can be set up in North Dakota through the administrative rule process, rather than through the Legislature. The rule process would take at least five months, he said.

Denise Steinbach, a state Health Department cancer plan coordinator, said the department is not involved in the American Cancer Society program proposal and does not have a position on it.