North Carolina News: Item 2207 - Drug Donation Rule Now Effective; Advanced Training Technician Rule Still Pending

July 7, 2010 3:30 PM

Published in the July 2010 North Carolina Board of Pharmacy Newsletter

On June 1, 2010, Board rules implementing the Drug, Supplies, and Medical Device Repository Program, NCGS § 90-85.44, became effective. These rules, codified at 21 NCAC 46.2513, provide the standards for a pharmacy’s participation as a recipient and dispenser of donated drugs, supplies, and medical devices. The proposed rule was described extensively in the April 2010 Newsletter. The complete text of the rule as finally adopted may be found on the Board’s Web site, www .ncbop.org.

The Board also adopted a rule concerning the use of advanced-trained pharmacy technicians to validate certain stocking and unit-dose packaging functions at its April 2010 meeting. That rule has not yet been published. The Rules Review Commission (RRC) initially objected to the rule on statutory authority grounds. The RRC since has agreed that the Board does, in fact, have the statutory authority to enact the rule, but has asked for some technical changes to clarify a couple of perceived ambiguities. Board staff will keep pharmacists up to date on this rule’s continued progress on the Board Web site and in future editions of the Newsletter.