Serving as a convenient reference source for individuals seeking an overview of the laws and regulations that govern pharmacy practice in 53 jurisdictions, the updated 2017 Survey of Pharmacy Law is now available. The Survey, which is produced as a digital PDF, is now provided on a USB drive. The Survey consists of four sections […]

Signed into law by President Obama, the Improving Regulatory Transparency for New Medical Therapies Act (HR 639) amends the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) so that newly approved controlled substances are scheduled more quickly and are available sooner for health care providers to prescribe to patients. Specifically, the law requires Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to make […]

Under the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) of 2013, FDA is required to establish a public database to include information about wholesale distributors’ license information. Annual reporting to FDA is one requirement for wholesale distributors and third-party logistics providers to be authorized as defined in the DSCSA. Each line of the database represents a license […]

A bill passed by the California Legislature would require the state’s pharmacies to provide translations of prescription drug labels and medication instructions into any of five specified languages. If signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown, the bill, AB 1073, would take effect January 1, 2016, and would require translated directions “printed on the prescription […]

In response to the prescription opioid abuse epidemic, a task force of physician groups is urging physicians to register for and use prescription monitoring programs (PMPs) as part of the decision-making process when considering treatment options. The American Medical Association (AMA) Task Force to Reduce Opioid Abuse will focus on identifying best practices to combat prescription […]

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie recently signed into law a bill that will require prescribers and pharmacists to register for the state’s prescription monitoring program (PMP) and to check the database that tracks controlled substance (CS) prescriptions under certain situations. The legislation, S-1998, includes the following requirements: Pharmacists will be required to consult the state […]

Ohio pharmacists are among the latest in the country to be allowed to dispense naloxone, a drug that reverses opioid overdose, without a prescription. Last week, Ohio Governor John Kasich signed into law modifications to Section 4729.44 of the Ohio Revised Code and Rule 4729-5-39 of the Ohio Administrative Code allowing pharmacists to dispense the […]

California and Oregon will soon become the only two states in the country where patients can obtain hormonal contraceptives directly from pharmacists without a prescription. Both Oregon’s House Bill (HB) 2879 (PDF) and revisions to California’s Code of Regulations, require pharmacists to review a brief health questionnaire before dispensing the contraceptives. In California, pharmacists must […]

Coming at a time when heroin and opioid overdoses are gripping the nation, a new Colorado law allows pharmacies to sell naloxone without a prescription. A number of states are allowing measures like Colorado’s to combat increasing overdose death rates associated with prescription opioid and heroin abuse. NABP’s AWARXE® Prescription Drug Safety Program is working to […]