Pennsylvania House Passes Bill to Create Electronic Prescription Monitoring Program
A Pennsylvania bill that would create a new prescription monitoring program (PMP) to include Schedule II through V CS has passed the state’s House of Representatives, reports The Bucks County Courier Times. The bill (H 1694), which was approved with overwhelming support in a 191-to-7 vote on October 21, 2013, would require prescription medication dispensers […]
Read More ›FDA to Recommend Reclassification of Hydrocodone Combination Products as Schedule II Controlled Substances
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to submit a formal recommendation to reclassify hydrocodone combination products as Schedule II controlled substances (CS) to the Department of Health and Human Services by early December 2013. FDA expects the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to concur with the recommendation, indicates a statement on the FDA Web site. […]
Read More ›California Passes Law Requiring Special Licenses for Sterile Compounding
Governor Jerry Brown of California signed a new law (SB 294) that requires sterile compounding pharmacies to obtain additional licensure from the California State Board of Pharmacy before compounding or dispensing sterile drug products, or before shipping these products into the state. Under the law, compounding pharmacies will also be subject to random, annual inspections […]
Read More ›State Senators Pressure Craigslist to Ban Illegal Prescription Drug Ads
State senators from Nevada and California are calling on Craigslist to remove ads from its site that facilitate illegal distribution and diversion of narcotics, reports the LA Times. In a letter (PDF) to Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster, California Senator Ted Lieu wrote, “In the interest of public safety, and to help stop needless deaths from overdoses, please consider this […]
Read More ›NABP Model Act Amended to Address Shared Service Concept, Medication Reuse Programs, and Internet Pharmacy Safety
The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®) recently amended the Model State Pharmacy Act and Model Rules of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (Model Act) in its effort to assist the boards of pharmacy as they work to protect the public health. The Model Act was revised to replace technology-specific language with […]
Read More ›NABP Shares Online Pharmacy Safety Information at International Pharmaceutical Federation World Congress
At the 2013 International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) World Congress hosted in Dublin, Ireland, NABP presented information on online pharmacy safety and rogue online drug sellers to delegates at a session dedicated to online health. NABP shared its finding with delegates that almost 97% of more than 10,000 Internet Web sites selling drug products and reviewed […]
Read More ›New Jersey Authorizes Medical Marijuana for Children Despite Criticism
Following a controversial conditional veto by Governor Chris Christie, New Jersey has become one of several states that allow children with issues like seizures, autism, and cancer, legal access to an edible form of medical marijuana. The New Jersey program requires parents of qualifying children to get approval from two doctors – a pediatrician and […]
Read More ›Georgia Implements Prescription Monitoring Program
The state of Georgia became the second-to-last state to implement a prescription monitoring program (PMP), which allows pharmacists and physicians to submit and check patient controlled substance prescription medication history in order to help them make the most appropriate treatment decisions. The Augusta Chronicle reports that nearly 2,000 pharmacists and prescribers have already signed up […]
Read More ›GAO Issues Recommendations for Congress and the Secretary of Health and Human Services for Compounding Pharmacies
In a July 2013 report, the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommends that “Congress should consider clarifying FDA’s authority to oversee certain entities that compound drugs.” GAO indicates that there is a lack of consensus on when compounding becomes manufacturing and specifically that “there was not agreement on whether compounding pharmacies that are engaged […]
Read More ›Veterinarians Not Eligible for NPIs, CMS Clarifies
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has become aware of cases in which veterinarians are told, incorrectly, that they must provide a National Provider Identifier (NPI) number for prescriptions they have written to be dispensed. The agency has issued a clarification, stressing that veterinarians do not meet the regulatory definition of “health care provider,” […]
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