The following laws that passed in the 2021 Legislative session went into effect on October 1:
- HB 429 This law allows therapeutic substitution under certain circumstances. It requires a pharmacist, or the pharmacist’s designee, to inform a consumer of the availability of a therapeutically equivalent brand name drug that is the lowest cost alternative to the originally prescribed drug or device and the cost difference between the equivalent drug or device and the prescribed drug for cash paying customers only. It does not apply to prescriptions reimbursed by a third-party payor. Also requires the pharmacy to provide written notice, or to maintain a record that indicates a patient was notified in writing or orally, that the generic product is equivalent to the brand name product.
- SB 298 This law requires an owner of a pharmacy to provide notice of the closing of the pharmacy at least 14 days prior to the anticipated closing of the pharmacy, It also requires the notice to indicate the name of the pharmacy where customer prescriptions and records will transferred, and that a customer may request that their prescriptions and records be sent to another pharmacy. The Board of Pharmacy will have to promulgate regulation on this law.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.