Posts Tagged ‘pharmacy’
DEA Helps Distributors Avoid Oversupplying Opioids
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) continues to work with its over 1.7 million registrants to combat the United States opioid epidemic and recently added a new feature to the ARCOS Online Reporting System that will assist drug manufacturers and distributors comply with their regulatory obligations under the Controlled Substances Act. Under current DEA regulations, distributors…
Read MoreBuprenorphine: Prescribing by Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants
Pharmacists are uniquely positioned to assist in medication assisted treatment programs and need to be aware of a change in prescribing rights regarding buprenorphine for maintenance or detoxification treatment of opioid additions. Section 303 of the Comprehensive Addition and Recovery Act (CARA) was signed into law on July 22, 2016, and made several changes to…
Read MoreAG Sessions Announces DEA Surge to Combat Prescription Drug Diversion
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced this week that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will surge Special Agents, Diversion Investigators and Intelligence Research Specialists over the next 45 days to focus on pharmacies and prescribers who are dispensing unusual or disproportionate amounts of controlled substances. The DEA plans to analyze the data from 80 million transaction…
Read MoreNew Nebraska Law Requires All Prescription Drugs to be Reported to PDMP
On January 1, 2018, Nebraska became the first state to require all dispensers to report all prescription drugs dispensed for an enhanced medication history, as required by Neb. Rev. Stat. 71-2454(2). The Nebraska Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) is a statewide tool for prescribers and dispensers that collects dispensed prescription information and serves as a…
Read MoreRural Colorado County Sues Top Pharmaceutical Companies and Distributors over Opioid Crisis
Huerfano County, a rural southern Colorado county, filed suit in federal court against the nation’s top pharmaceutical companies and drug manufacturers and distributors claiming that the companies are responsible for overdoes and death due to opioids. The lawsuit claims that Huerfano County residents were falsely induced to take highly addictive opioids for pain management and…
Read MoreNew York Pharmacists Allowed to Give Flu Shots to Children After Executive Order
Flu season typically runs from October through May with peaks seen in February. However, flu cases nationwide continue to increase at alarming rates. New York, like Florida, recently enacted legislation that addresses flu testing and administration by authorized pharmacists. Last week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state disaster emergency and issued an executive order intending…
Read MorePatient Choice of Pharmacy Bill Introduced in the Colorado Legislature
House Bill 18-1097 (HB 1097), also referred to as the Patient Choice of Pharmacy, is a bipartisan sponsored bill that focuses primarily on patient choices when filling prescription medications and is aimed at protecting small, rural pharmacies that may be closer to patients. HB 1097, in its current form, states that an insurance carrier or…
Read MoreFDA’s 2018 Priorities for Drug Compounding
After the fungal meningitis outbreak of 2012 that killed 76 patients and injured hundreds more, Congress passed the Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA), which, in part, tried to bring more compounding pharmacies, traditionally overseen by state boards of pharmacy, under FDA oversight. The DQSA created a new entity, called ‘outsourcing facilities,’ that could register…
Read MoreDistribution of Compounded Prescription Drugs for Animal Use into Colorado
In late 2017, the Colorado Board of Pharmacy (Board) sent notice to all facilities registered with the Board as nonresident pharmacies. The notification addressed the distribution of medications into Colorado. The notification states, in part, the following: “Colorado law and Board rule (CRS 12-42.5-118.5 and Board Rules 21.00.20(d)) allow a nonresident pharmacy (“Pharmacy”) to distribute…
Read MoreArkansas House Passes a Bill Requiring Pharmacist Consultants at Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
The Arkansas House of Representatives passed HB 2190, which amends the state’s medical marijuana guidelines and, amongst other things, requires medical marijuana dispensaries appoint a ‘pharmacist consultant‘ who, as a registered dispensary agent, would provide training to the dispensary at least once per year. Under HB 2190, which is now headed to the Arkansas senate,…
Read More