Legal News

Former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala and former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani were among the speakers addressing the issue of drug importation at the 100th annual meeting of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

Oxycontin is at the center of several lawsuits to determine whether or not it will be marketed in a generic form.

New Jersey revised its 100-year-old pharmacy practice act to allow pharmacists to administer immunizations and enter collaborative practice agreements to manage drug therapy under protocol.

Minnesota Board of Pharmacy inspectors vetted Canadian pharmacies in advance of a state-sponsored Web site steering citizens north of the border for their Rxs.

The North Carolina Court of Appeals upheld the state pharmacy board's power to discipline pharmacists and pharmacies when an error is made after the R.Ph. has filled more than 150 scripts on one shift.

The politics of Canadian drug importation has muzzled pharmacy boards in states where governors and mayors are gung-ho for bringing in lower priced medications to score points with voters.

List of 85 drugs that were offered as generics for the first time in 2003

Now that a new year has started, here's a look at what bills states are grappling with

In the face of an explosion of mail order drug importation, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy is working with NAPRA, its Canadian counterpart, to build a framework for inter-border pharmacy regulation to protect both U.S. and Canadian patients.

The explosion in Canadian mail order pharmacy shipments to U.S. consumers is causing drug and pharmacist shortages in Manitoba, according to a survey of pharmacists by the Coalition for Manitoba Pharmacy.

A U.S. District Court judge ordered Rx Depot to shut down its storefront operations that send U.S. consumers' prescriptions across the border to be illegally filled by Canadian mail order pharmacies.

"You cannot ignore politics, or if you do, you do so at your peril," declared Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-Ga.), at the American College of Clinical Pharmacy annual meeting last month in Atlanta, Ga. To end the session, a short video was shown that offered tips for making a visit to a member of Congress a success. These tips include planning the visit carefully, making an appointment, being prompt and patient, being prepared, being political, and being responsive.

New California law does away with triplicates for controlled substances

Pharmacy boards that licensed Medco mail order facilities are closely watching the federal lawsuit filed against the giant PBM that include allegations of numerous violations state pharmacy practice acts.

The Iowa pharmacy board suspended the license of a Dubuque community pharmacy accused of illegally filling controlled substance prescriptions for an Internet site.

Federal and state regulators cracked down on storefronts that partner with mail order operations illegally importing drugs into the U.S. at the same time the Illinois governor is considering an Rx import plan for state employees.

Texas R.Ph. and Senator Letitia Van De Putte lead the 11 Democrats who fled to New Mexico to thwart a Republican plan to redistrict the state's Congressional seats.

State pharmacy boards are generally exempt from the provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), according to the attorney representing the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

The Pharmacy Freedom Fund and the National Community Pharmacists Association filed lawsuits against Medco Health Solutions and AdvancePCS, charging the PBMs with antitrust violations.

In an effort to facilitate the ease of patients getting their medicaitons, the Kentucky pharmacy board adopted a therapeutic equivalency regulation allowing pharmacists to substitute drugs within a class with the prescriber's prior approval.

Pharmacists can expect more breach of confidentiality lawsuits due to the publicity about the HIPAA patient privacy mandate, warns a malpractice insurance expert.

Three state pharmacy boards are adopting an on-line pharmacist licensure renewal program developed by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

New Harris Interactive survey finds that concern over patient lawsuits have a profound impact on how pharmacists practice.

Provisions under House and Senate versions of prescription drug benefits legislation and their impact on FDA final rules regarding generic drug approvals under the Waxman-Hatch Act.

Provisions under House and Senate versions of prescription drug benefits legislation and their impact on FDA final rules regarding generic drug approvals under the Waxman-Hatch Act.

Some Canadian mail order pharmacies are now sponsoring prescription parties to help American senior citizens import medications even though the FDA has warned that anyone aiding and abetting such illegal importation is subject to civil and criminal charges.

Doezens of national and state pharmacy associations endorsed a joint communique on drug importation from Canada issued by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and Canada's National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities.

Pharmacies must document and disclose to patients who ask when state pharmacy board inspectors skim through Rx records, according to the director of the HHS Office of Civil Rights, which oversees enforcement of the Health Insurance and Portability Act (HIPAA).

At the 99th annual meeting of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, Food & Drug Administration officials urged state pharmacy boards to help the agency cope with the growing number of storefront operations facilitating illegal Rx drugs pouring into the U.S. from Canada.

U.S. regulators target the new gold rush--prescription drug imports from across the border.