The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy^® (NABP^®) recently amended the Model State Pharmacy Act and Model Rules of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (Model Act) in its effort to assist the boards of pharmacy as they work to protect the public health. 

The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) will introduce an updated Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) on November 1, 2013.

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is offering two regional one-day Pharmacy Diversion Awareness Conferences (PDAC) in Louisville, KY.

Medi-Son Solutions of Norwood, MA, and its sister company, CarePro, in Quincy, MA, have been closed at the order of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy.

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) have announced the creation of the Pharmacy Technician Accreditation Commission.

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is offering two regional one-day Pharmacy Diversion Awareness Conferences (PDAC) in Boston, MA.

National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®) recently issued a report emphasizing the deceptive practices that illegal online drug sellers use to make consumers believe that they are legitimate, safe, and trustworthy.

Legislation intended to help ensure the safety of drugs compounded in Massachusetts is being considered by the state’s House of Representatives. 

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is offering Pharmacy Diversion Awareness Conferences (PDACs) in both southern and northern California. 

A new law in Maine will allow residents to import prescription drugs for personal use from mail order pharmacies located in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

DEA is offering two regional one-day Pharmacy Diversion Awareness Conferences (PDAC) in Baton Rouge, LA.

The Wisconsin prescription monitoring program (PMP) recently executed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to participate in NABP PMP InterConnectx®, joining 24 other state PMPs who have agreed to participate. 

The Tennessee Board of Pharmacy has implemented a new rule that will effectively enable the Board to act more quickly when a potential safety issue at a facility engaged in compounding is detected.

Effective July 1, 2013, Indiana pharmacists will be authorized to administer additional immunizations under a protocol approved by a physician.

For 20 years, FDA’s MedWatch program has supported medication safety efforts by providing a means for health care providers and consumers to report safety information regarding FDA-regulated products. 

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is offering two regional one-day Pharmacy Diversion Awareness Conferences (PDACs) in Portland, OR.

Many legislatures have enacted so called “social legislation” intended to empower regulatory boards to impose administrative sanctions against licensees for certain delineated activities.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an alert warning against the use of sterile products compounded and dispensed by Main Street Family Pharmacy, LLC, of Newbern, TN.

United States Representative Edward Markey (D-MA) filed an updated version (PDF) of the Verifying Authority and Legality in Drug (VALID) Compounding Act of 2013 on May, 23, 2013. 

Pharmacists in Pennsylvania would be granted authority to vaccinate patients above the age of seven with a parent’s consent under two bills being considered by the Pennsylvania General Assembly. 

Under a contract with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs and the state’s Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa, NABP will assist the Division with inspections of New Jersey pharmacies engaged in the practice of compounding. 

Delegates to the NABP 109th Annual Meeting elected individuals to fill the president-elect, treasurer, and open member positions on the Association’s 2013-2014 Executive Committee. 

NABP honored leaders in the protection of public health at the 109^th Annual Meeting. 

The Missouri Board of Pharmacy will be allowed to test drugs in pharmacy inventories under a new law.

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is offering two regional one-day Pharmacy Diversion Awareness Conferences (PDAC) in the Chicago, IL, area, one on Saturday, June 22, 2013, and another on Sunday, June 23, 2013. 

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy^® (NABP^®) honored leaders in the protection of public health at the Association’s 109^th Annual Meeting, held May 18-21, 2013, in St Louis, MO.

Delegates from the member boards of pharmacy adopted eight resolutions during the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy^® (NABP^®) 109^th Annual Meeting, held May 18-21, 2013, in St Louis, MO. 

Each year the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy^® (NABP^®) Executive Committee selects an individual to serve as its honorary president for the coming year. 

The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) General Chapter <17> Prescription Container Labeling, published in the USP 36–NF 31, became an official standard on May 1, 2013.

A bill to strengthen the regulation of compounding pharmacies in Maine was introduced to the state’s legislature.

In Florida, a bill that would increase the number of pharmacy technicians that a pharmacist may supervise has passed the state’s House of Representatives. 

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy^® (NABP^®) is offering attendees the opportunity to earn up to nine contact hours (0.9 CEUs) of Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education-accredited continuing pharmacy education (CPE) credit at its 109^th Annual Meeting.

DEA is offering two regional one-day Pharmacy Diversion Awareness Conferences (PDAC) in Detroit, MI, one on Saturday, May 4, 2013, and another on Sunday, May 5, 2013. 

Through board of pharmacy inspections of compounding pharmacies and proposed laws to tighten requirements for compounding, states are taking action to help ensure the safety of compounded drugs.

NABP member boards of pharmacy are moving swiftly to implement the Compounding Action Plan initiated by state boards of pharmacy and NABP in November 2012.

Set in St Louis, MO, the geographic hub of the United States, this year’s National Association of Boards of Pharmacy^®(NABP^®) 109th Annual Meeting, “Gateway to Shared Responsibility and Success,” will provide attendees an opportunity to explore the “Gateway to the West.”

Pharmacies compounding sterile drug products for dispensing to patients in California would be required to obtain a license to engage in that practice under a bill introduced to the state’s senate on February 19, 2013.

A Georgia bill (PDF) requiring pain management clinics to be physician-owned and licensed by the Georgia Composite Medical Board has passed in the state’s House of Representatives. 

Stricter inspection requirements for nonresident compounding pharmacies and a clarification that distinguishes compounding from manufacturing are among the statutory changes included in House Bill 2312 currently being considered by the Virginia Legislature. 

Aimed to protect public health, a bill introduced in the Oklahoma Legislature would bring pharmacy benefit managers under the regulation of the Oklahoma State Board of Pharmacy. 

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is offering two regional one-day Pharmacy Diversion Awareness Conferences in Albuquerque, NM.

With the multistate meningitis outbreak linked to unsafe compounding practices at the New England Compounding Center, multiple stakeholders, including NABP, are seeking to clarify the law and put in place new systems. 

The Tennessee Board of Pharmacy has convened a task force to review the state’s regulations pertaining to compounding and determine how regulations might be strengthened to further protect the public health. 

In the wake of the meningitis outbreak linked to contaminated drugs compounded by the New England Compounding Center (NECC), the Texas State Board of Pharmacy conducted a special survey.

The Minnesota Board of Pharmacy, which already has strong compounding regulations and requirements in place, is in the process of considering additional requirements, some of which will require the passage of new legislation. 

The California State Board of Pharmacy will sponsor a bill that would allow inspectors to make unannounced on-site inspections of certain nonresident pharmacies.

The Oregon State Board of Pharmacy and LegitScript took actions to prevent rogue Internet drug outlets from distributing products.

The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy is considering eight potential solutions for improving the state’s regulation of pharmacy compounding. The solutions are part of the Board’s efforts to streamline compounding rules and improve patient safety.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has sent cease and desist orders to three compounding pharmacies for drug preparation and storage problems that were discovered during surprise inspections. The Boston Globe reports that the issues found at the facilities –...

The Colorado Electronic Prescription Drug Monitoring Program has executed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with NABP to participate in the NABP PMP InterConnect®, the system that facilitates the secure sharing of data between state prescription monitoring programs (PMPs), a key...

The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy has approved emergency regulations to enhance oversight of compounding pharmacies. The emergency regulations (PDF) will allow the state to track volume and distribution at compounding pharmacies in order to determine if a pharmacy...

The New Jersey State Board of Pharmacy is providing a directive to assist pharmacists in New Jersey as they face unique needs while serving patients during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The Board advises pharmacists to use their expertise and...