A California bill expanding the role of pharmacy technicians and interns was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown on September 15, 2014. The new law is intended to “make more efficient use of pharmacy personnel,” such as enabling hospital pharmacists to spend more time collaborating with other health care providers, reports the Sacramento Business […]

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has published its Final Rule on Disposal of Controlled Substances, allowing some DEA registrants to modify their registration to become authorized collectors. The Final Rule implements the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which authorized DEA to develop and implement regulations that would allow authorized entities other than law […]

United States Attorney General Eric Holder is urging federal law enforcement agencies to “identify, train and equip personnel who may interact with a victim of a heroin overdose” to carry naloxone, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. In a memorandum, Holder also requests that Congress protect enforcement tools, specifically Immediate Suspension Orders, a […]

FDA has approved Targiniq™ ER, an opioid pain reliever designed to be more resistant to abuse. The drug is an extended-release/long-acting (ER/LA) opioid analgesic for treating pain severe enough to require around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment, and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate. Targiniq ER is the first to combine naloxone hydrochloride, an overdose reversal […]

CVS pharmacies in West Virginia have stopped selling single-ingredient pseudoephedrine cold medications as part of an effort to hinder criminals who use the drug to make illegal methamphetamine, reports the Charleston Gazette. The ban applies to all 50 CVS pharmacies in the state, as well as 40 stores that are within 15 miles of West […]

Setting out a four-part science-based strategy for reducing illicit drug use, the White House 2014 National Drug Control Strategy (PDF) includes a focus on reducing heroin and prescription painkiller abuse and overdose, which have spiked dramatically in recent years. Released annually, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) strategy document serves as a national […]

Under revisions to the Kansas Pharmacy Practice Act, pharmacists may now collaborate with physicians to manage patients’ medication therapies. Both parties must act under the provisions outlined in a written collaborative practice agreement between the pharmacist and physician, explains the Kansas State Board of Pharmacy. The new provisions codify the informal agreements that many physicians […]

A legislative package of 11 bills targeting prescription drug and opioid abuse has been approved by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The series of bills includes “Good Samaritan” protections for individuals who administer an opioid antagonist like naloxone, the medication that can reverse the effects of an overdose. According to a press release from the […]