NACDS and the California Retailers Association (CRA) sent the following joint letters to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D): 

• Requesting his signature on SB (Senate Bill) 1259, which would allow pharmacists to furnish opioid antagonists, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, without a prescription. Gov. Newsom subsequently signed the bill on September 2 (Chapter 245, Statues of 2022).  

• Requesting a veto of the AB (Assembly Bill) 852, related to e-prescribing, because it was not amended as requested. Anticipating that a veto is unlikely, we also reached out to the Governor’s legislative secretary and asked that, if the bill does get signed, the Governor include a signing message as follows: In approving AB 852, it is not my intent to force pharmacies to accept an electronic prescription without first having the time to ensure that the software via which the electronic prescription is submitted is compliant with Section 688(b)(3), as well as time for the pharmacy to undertake necessary system changes to become compatible with the software.  
• Stating a neutral position on AB 1341, legislation prohibiting the sale of dietary supplements for weight loss or over-the-counter diet pills to individuals under 18 years of age without a prescription. As currently drafted, AB 1341 does not require retailers to limit customer access to dietary supplements, e.g., caging requirement, that was our primary concern with the bill.  

Also in California, NACDS along with the California Pharmacists Association and the California Retailers Association jointed over 30 additional organizations in a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) thanking him for facilitating access by diabetes patients to continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and care by exempting CGMs from Medi-Cal provider cuts in this year’s State Budget. CGMs were added as a covered Medi-Cal benefit for adult patients with diabetes just this past January. However, because of the cross operation of a decade-old law (AB 97 Ch.3/2011), Medi-Cal reimbursements for CGMs were below actual costs, making it unfeasible for some providers to offer these life-changing medical devices to patients. 

Also in California, the Board of Pharmacy posted the following: 

• September 2022 is Opioid, Heroin, Fentanyl, and Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month 
• Board of Pharmacy Update – August 2022 

Also in California, the Department of Health Care Services posted the following alerts and weekly notices on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal.  

• Enteral Nutrition Update to the List of Covered Enteral Nutrition Products, Retroactive to September 1, 2022 (September 14) 
• One-Week Countdown – Reinstatement of Prior Authorization Requirements for 11 Drug Classes (September 9) 
• Medi-Cal Rx Weekly Wrap-Up for September 2-8 (September 9) 
• Two-Week Countdown – Reinstatement of Prior Authorization Requirements for 11 Drug Classes (September 2)
• Medi-Cal Rx Weekly Wrap-Up for August 26-September 1 (September 2) 
• Medi-Cal Rx Monthly Bulletin for September (September 1) 
• Changes to Contract Drugs List (CDL) (September 1) 
• Changes to Contract Drugs List (CDL) – Over-the-Counter Drugs (September 1) 
• Changes to Family PACT Pharmacy Formulary (September 1)
• Updates to Medi-Cal Rx Provider Manual (September 1) 
• Medical Supplies: Updates to the List of Covered Disposable Insulin Delivery Devices (September 1) 
• Diabetic Supplies: Updates to Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems (September 1) 
• Maximum Allowable Ingredient Cost 30-day Pharmacy Provider Notice (September 1) 
• Reminder to Providers: COVID-19 Oral Antivirals for Uninsured Group (August 30) 
• Phase I, Wave III Prior Authorization Submission (August 26) 
• Medi-Cal Rx Weekly Wrap-Up for August 19-25 (August 26)
• COVID-19 Vaccine Now a Benefit for Pediatric Population (August 23) 
• Enteral Nutrition Update: Renastep (Vitaflo, USA, LLC) Product-Specific Criteria Removed, Effective September 1, 2022 (August 22) 
• Medi-Cal Rx Weekly Wrap-Up for August 12-18 (August 19) 
• 30-day Countdown – Reinstatement of Prior Authorization Requirements for 11 Drug Classes (August 16) 
• Prior Authorization Reinstatement Reference Guide (August 16) 
• Phase I, Wave III List of Drug Impacted by Prior Authorization Reinstatement (August 16) 
• COVID-19 Vaccine: Single Booster Dose for Children Ages 5-11 (August 15) 
• Medi-Cal Rx Weekly Wrap-Up for August 5-11 (August 12) 

Also in California, Medi-Cal posted the following:  

• Coming Soon: Bivalent Booster Dose for Select COVID-19 Vaccines (September 14) 
• October 2022 Medi-Cal Provider “Coffee Break” Event (September 12) 
• Medi-Cal Update – Pharmacy – August 2022 – Bulletin 1022 (August 31) 
• Monkeypox (Mpox) Vaccine Administration; General Updates (Updated August 29) 
• Reminder: COVID-19 Oral Antivirals for Uninsured Group (August 22) 

Finally in California, the CRA reported that SB 301, the state’s version of the federal INFORM Consumers Act, has been sent to Gov. Newsom for his signature or veto.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.