Podcast: Impact of COVID-19 on Pharmacist Scope of Practice: Before and After the PREP Act - Diagnosing Health Care
As detailed in our February 24, 2025 update, House Bill 123 continues the operations of the Alabama Board of Pharmacy (“the Board”) until October 1, 2026, with changes to the Board’s structure, operations, and practices....more
Beginning January 1, 2026, the Illinois Board of Pharmacy will require “out-of-state” (non-resident) pharmacies licensed or seeking licensure in Illinois to have a pharmacist-in-charge (PIC) who is licensed in Illinois....more
Following the release of a memo last month detailing upcoming regulations, the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy released its long-awaited regulatory changes for non-resident pharmacy licensure last week by...more
After almost a decade of waiting, Massachusetts has announced that it will open its licensing process for non-resident pharmacies. Yesterday, the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy published a memo announcing...more
On November 19, 2024, the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy (the “Board”) published several memoranda that described the impending non-resident pharmacy licensure requirements and the anticipated timeline for...more
In a significant move to enhance public health and expand HIV prevention measures, Florida has recently enacted the “John W. Rheay Act” (Fla. Stat. § 465.1861), effective as of July 1, 2024. This legislation aims to enhance...more
Pharmacies, wholesalers, third-party logistics providers, outsourcing facilities, clinics, and pharmacists must obtain the California State Board of Pharmacy’s (the “Board”) approval or otherwise notify the Board about...more
Earlier this month, the American Society of Pharmacy Law hosted its annual conference in San Antonio, TX. This gathering of industry leaders provided a unique opportunity to delve into the ever-evolving landscape of pharmacy...more
On October 8, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1286 into law. The new law, sponsored by Assemblymember Matt Haney and the California Board of Pharmacy, aims to reduce medication errors and...more
Prescription errors, unfortunately, are common. Every year, 7,000 to 9,000 people die as a result of medication errors in the United States, making it the third most common cause of death in the country after heart disease...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued initial guidance on how the agency expects the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program (the “Negotiation Program”) to operate. The Negotiation Program was...more
On February 17, Daniel Russo, a Long Island resident, pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn to multiple charges in connection with illegally distributing oxycodone. Russo faces decades in federal prison when he is...more
The state of New Jersey recently passed a law that will allow pharmacists to provide self-administered hormonal contraceptives to patients without a prescription. The law, which was signed by Governor Philip Murphy on January...more
A Suffolk County, New York court held on November 16 that White’s Apothecary in East Hampton was not negligent when it filled a physician’s opioid and benzodiazepine prescriptions as ordered....more
On June 7, 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) unanimously voted to initiate a study into how business practices employed by some pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) may impact prescription drug pricing and patient access...more
Learning Objectives - Describe the basic structure of a 340B program implementation at a hospital or grant-funded clinic - Illustrate the permissible and impermissible uses of 340B-priced drugs - Explain the roles of...more
In a move signaling the increasing importance of pharmacists in the overall continuum of patient care, Rhode Island (RI) recently enacted new statutory language that expands pharmacists’ ability to administer medications...more
On December 11, 2020, five hospital groups, including the American Hospital Association (“AHA”), and an organization of hospital pharmacists representing participants in the 340B drug pricing program (“340B Program”), filed a...more
On September 24, 2020, FDA announced that it was taking action to help lower prescription drug prices by issuing a final rule and a final guidance aimed at facilitating the safe importation of certain prescription drugs....more
In response to the federal and state declarations of public health emergencies surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the California State Board of Pharmacy has issued the following waivers to California Board of Pharmacy...more
Pharmacies nationwide are struggling to keep up with the demand for new prescriptions of hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine and mefloquine, the decades-old immunosuppressant and/or anti-inflammatory agents used for treating...more
The Trump Administration has put out its latest prescription to try to slash out-of-control prescription drug prices: Officials want to call medication “rebates” what they say they’ve really become — “kickbacks” — and crack...more
Opioid Education - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) crept cautiously closer to curbing the opioid crisis by approving sweeping changes as to how the prescription drugs are labeled. Going forward, such...more
The Florida legislature passed HB 21, which imposes a number of new requirements on prescribers and pharmacists regarding controlled substance prescribing and dispensing. Part of the law requires pharmacists to verify the...more
Last month, the governor of Arizona signed a bill into law allowing pharmacists to automatically substitute a biosimilar for a reference branded biologic. Arizona continues the recent trend of states enacting biosimilar...more