For over a century, NABP has helped safeguard public health by adapting to meet the needs of a changing regulatory environment. From standardized competency assessment programs to tools that help boards streamline licensure, NABP has remained focused on its commitment to innovating today for a safer public health tomorrow. With pharmacy practice in a rapidly paced transformative era – shaped by digitalization, data integration, artificial intelligence (AI), and other technological advancements – the focus on innovation is more important than ever.
NABP is meeting this moment through ongoing, targeted program enhancements designed to provide pharmacists and regulators with the tools they need to protect patients. These updates, including enhanced examinations, accreditation services, and international supply chain platforms, reflect our strategic commitment to innovation that protects the public health. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the most important of these enhancements.
Meeting the Moment Through Innovative High-Quality Examinations
Among the most significant updates are enhancements of tools and services related to the development of the uniform version of the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination® (MPJE®), updates to practice exams, and refreshed exam content.
Uniform MPJE Launching in 2026
With an expected launch in June 2026, the Uniform MPJE™ (UMPJE™) reflects years of collaboration between NABP, boards of pharmacy, education and legal experts, and additional stakeholders.
In August 2025, the UMPJE Review Committee met to finalize item development for the exam content outline. The exam’s design is based on a national practice analysis and a comprehensive survey of pharmacy professionals licensed in multiple jurisdictions, ensuring that it reflects the core legal competencies needed for safe and effective practice.
Importantly, states will have the option to adopt the UMPJE or continue using the current state-specific MPJE. This flexibility allows jurisdictions to align their examination strategy with broader licensure goals, including support for interstate practice. Read more about the development of the UMPJE in our blog post on the topic.
Practice Exams and Preparation Tools Enhanced
To assist candidates in preparing for their licensure examinations, NABP offers a suite of practice exams, the newest addition being NAPLEX Advantage™. NAPLEX Advantage offers comprehensive performance reports that provide insight into individual strengths and weaknesses mapped to the NAPLEX Content Outline, allowing NAPLEX candidates to strategically focus their studies before sitting for their exam. The NAPLEX Advantage service also helps schools provide a high-stakes exam environment for their students and supplies aggregate school performance data to schools and colleges of pharmacy for an in-depth assessment of their students’ preparedness for the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination® (NAPLEX®).
A new practice exam for the Uniform MPJE , the Pre-UMPJE™, launching January 2026, will provide candidates with early insight into the structure and content of the new jurisprudence exam.
Early MPJE Option to Expand in Spring 2026
Building on the success of a recent pilot, in spring 2026, NABP is rolling out the option for students in participating jurisdictions who have completed the didactic portion of their doctor of pharmacy curriculum to attempt the MPJE once prior to graduation. This initiative has already garnered significant interest, with more than 10 jurisdictions expressing intent to participate. Successfully passing the exam under this new timeline will qualify candidates for licensure by examination in those jurisdictions.
Licensure Development Supports a More Mobile, Modern Workforce
NABP’s Pharmacist Interstate Practice Privilege is taking shape and will provide a pathway for pharmacists to practice in participating states without needing to maintain full licensure in each one.
Under this model, a pharmacist licensed and in good standing in one state could apply for a practice privilege in another, provided both states participate in the framework. This model builds on NABP’s Emergency Passport program, which was used during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Once the model legislative language and infrastructure are ready, the next step will be state implementation. States will need to enact the model legislation to enable the Pharmacist Interstate Practice Privilege in their states. This new pathway to practice will offer a significant step forward in modernizing licensure portability. NABP Verify®, a license monitoring tool that allows boards of pharmacy to confirm whether a pharmacist is in good standing across jurisdictions, will be an essential component of the interstate model.
Securing the Global Pharmaceutical Supply Chain
In mid-2025, NABP partnered with the International Narcotics Control Board and regulators in Kenya and Uganda to launch Operation African Star 2, a pilot program using the Pulse by NABP™ traceability platform to track medications through the supply chain, from port entry to pharmacy shelves.
Participants in Kenya and Uganda completed hands-on workshops and initiated a field operation in July 2025, with support from global organizations, including United Nations International Narcotics Control Board, Universal Postal Union, USAID-OIG, Pharmaceutical Security Institute, and Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations. During the operation, dozens of diverted products were identified, which has led to investigations by national health regulatory authorities in each country.
In September 2025, NABP presented the findings of Operation African Star 2 at the United Nations Permanent Forum on International Pharmaceutical Crime. The presentation highlighted the need for continued collaboration across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to protect supply chains across the globe.
Survey of Pharmacy Law Receives Digital Upgrade
The Survey of Pharmacy Law will soon be transformed into a dynamic, web-based tool designed to significantly enhance the user experience. Moving away from the former pdf version, this digital upgrade will provide an interactive source for accessing and analyzing pharmacy law data. Launching in the first quarter of 2026 as a subscription-based service, the Survey can be purchased in NABP e-Profile.
The new interactive, digital format will provide enhanced, customizable data visualization capabilities. Users will be able to instantly generate maps and charts to compare legal provisions across states. For example, a subscriber could generate and view a map that automatically shades every state where a particular law or rule applies.
Our program enhancements are more than incremental updates – they are foundational investments in the future of pharmacy regulation. Whether modernizing exams, streamlining licensure, or securing the supply chain, each initiative reflects the same core principle: regulatory excellence must evolve alongside the profession.
This blog was adapted from an article that originally appeared in the November/December 2025 issue of Innovations.
