News
Colorado Pharmacists Prescribing Contraceptives Under a New Statewide Protocol
Under a new statewide protocol based on Senate Bill 16-135, only Colorado-licensed pharmacists that have completed an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited educational training program related to the prescribing of contraceptives by a pharmacist, may dispense hormonal contraceptive patches and oral hormone contraceptives to patients who are at least 18 years of age. Additionally,…
Read MoreOhio Pharmacist Suspended for Mixing Wrong Medications
The Ohio State Board of Pharmacy (Ohio Board) recently suspended a local pharmacist’s license after the pharmacist admitted to personally compounding medications so he did not have to add the total dose prescribed to the IV for particularly dangerous drugs. The pharmacist, Ernest Perrin, of Youngstown, OH, indicated he did this to reduce costs. A…
Read MoreColorado Pharmacists Can Prescribe Contraception
With the passage of Colorado SB 16-135, which allows the Boards of Pharmacy, Nursing, and Medicine to collaborate on statewide protocols to address public health needs and improve patient outcomes, Colorado becomes the third state to authorize pharmacists to prescribe oral contraception. Once trained, qualified pharmacists will screen all patients seeking pharmacist-prescribed contraception for potential…
Read MoreNew Jersey signs Five-Day Opioid Prescription Bill into Law
Last week, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed into law Assembly Bill 3, which, among other things: 1. Limits doctors’ ability to issue first-time opioid prescriptions for more than five days; 2. Mandates that doctors create a pain-management treatment plan regarding the use of opioids and review prescriptions every three months; and 3. Requires doctors…
Read MoreAlabama's Proposed Action to Reschedule Seven Controlled Substances
The Alabama Department of Public Health recently filed a “Notice of Intended Action” to amend Alabama’s current Controlled Substance List by rescheduling seven substances to a higher schedule due to the potentials of abuse as recommended by the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners. The seven substances the Alabama Department of Public Health proposes to reclassify…
Read MoreOhio Pharmacy Law: Expanding the Powers of the Pharmacist
Ohio House Bill 188 (HB 188), which passed last year, greatly expands the role of the Ohio pharmacist by streamlining the collaborative practice agreement paperwork and allowing physicians to enter into an agreement with multiple pharmacists to manage drug therapy for their patients. Under an Ohio collaborative practice agreement, pharmacists can order blood or urine…
Read MoreNorth Carolina Pharmacy Law Update: Properly Identifying the Compounding Risk Levels and Notifying the Board
Pharmacies that hold a permit in North Carolina and engage in any type of compounding are required to notify the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy (Board). Pharmacies must report (both on their initial permit application and as part of each annual renewal) the following: Whether they compound; A good-faith estimate of the percentage of the…
Read MoreCVS Agrees to Pay Millions to Settle Allegations of Filling Forged Prescriptions
Earlier this year, CVS paid $8 million for alleged violations of the Controlled Substance Act in its Maryland pharmacies. Last week, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced that CVS has agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle allegations that its pharmacists filled forged prescriptions, mostly for addictive painkillers, between 2011 and…
Read MoreTwo Pharmacists Sentenced to Prison for Adulteration of Drugs
On June 21, 2016, the Department of Justice announced that two Alabama pharmacists were sentenced to prison terms of 12 and 10 months for their roles in the distribution of adulterated drugs. The drugs in question were compounded at the now-defunct compounding pharmacy Advanced Specialty Pharmacy (dba: Meds IV.) Meds IV allegedly compounded numerous drugs…
Read MoreNew Colorado Law Expands Pharmacist Opportunities
On June 6, 2016, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed into law Senate Bill 16-135 which amends the Colorado Pharmacy Practice Act and the Colorado Insurance Code to expand practice opportunities for pharmacist and provide a pathway for reimbursement of pharmacy services. The Bill is expected to go into effect in early August 2016. The Bill includes…
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