News

Pharmacy Outages Triggered by ‘Blackcat’ Ransomware

Hackers from the ‘Blackcat’ ransomeware gang are reportedly behind the February 21st pharmacy outage last month. The pharmacy outage halted prescription deliveries for nearly one week after hackers reportedly gained access to United Health owned Change Healthcare information technology systems which also led to massive disruptions at pharmacies across the country, including CVS, Walgreens, Publix,…

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DEA Sues the Colorado Board of Pharmacy over PDMP Data

Last week, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sued the Colorado Board of Pharmacy (Board) demanding that the Board share its Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) data to assist in an ongoing investigation as to whether two unnamed pharmacies broke the law in dispensing opioids and other drugs. Colorado’s PDMP program tracks opioid and other prescription…

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California Expands Access to HIV Prevention Drugs

California Senate Bill 159, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom earlier this week, allows pharmacies to offer pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) HIV prevention medications without a prescription in a similar manner to birth control and emergency contraceptives provided certain, specific requirements are fulfilled. California pharmacists, after completing a mandatory training program approved by…

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New Prescription Law in California Causing Problems

According to the California Department of Public Health, about 2,000 Californians die annually from opioid overdoses. To address the opioid crisis, California, like many other states across the nation, continue to enact new laws that address the prescribing of opioid medications. On January 1, 2019, Assembly Bill (AB) 1753 took effect. AB 1753, in short, requires: (1)…

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2018 Arizona Opioid Epidemic Act: Pharmacist and Pharmacy Rule Changes

Earlier this year, Arizona passed the Arizona Opioid Epidemic Act (Act), a comprehensive, bipartisan bill aimed at combating the opioid epidemic. The new legislation addresses opioid treatment, opioid enforcement and oversight, opioid addiction and reversing opioid overdoses. Pharmacists and pharmacies must be aware of a few important rule changes slated to start April 26, 2018,…

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McKesson Tries to Avoid Opioid Liability

Drug distributor McKesson filed paperwork in federal court stating that its $40 billion contract with the federal government — the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Indian Health Service — to deliver medications, including opioids, and other pharmacy products, should allow it to raise the government contractor defense to liability in the recent lawsuit filed by…

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Colorado Board of Pharmacy Update: Non Resident Affidavit

In late 2017, the Colorado Board of Pharmacy (Board) sent notice to all non resident pharmacies licensed with the Board. The notification addressed the distribution of medications into Colorado. In part, the notification stated the following: “Colorado law and Board rule (CRS 12-42.5-118.5 and Board Rules 21.00.20(d)) allow a non resident pharmacy (“Pharmacy”) to distribute…

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‘The Pharmacy’ Shut Down by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy

A popular dessert and drink spot located outside of downtown Dallas, named ‘The Pharmacy’ was forced to close its doors amid a name dispute with the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. ‘The Pharmacy,’ which opened last summer, recently received notification from the Texas State Board of Pharmacy that its name, “The Pharmacy” – violated the…

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Pharmacy Kiosks in Arizona

Patient convenience is the focus, but will pharmacy kiosks save patients valuable time since they can now skip going into their pharmacy to pick up a prescription? Medavail Technologies is planning to install around 40 pharmacy kiosks — essentially vending machines for medications — around Arizona. Patient’s will receive their prescription in the form of…

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