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Minnesota Board of Pharmacy |
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Minnesota Board of Pharmacy |
DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS. No formal disciplinary actions involving pharmacists were completed by the Board during the time period December 1, 1999 to March 1, 2000.
The following pharmacy technicians have voluntarily surrendered their technician registrations, rather than contesting allegations of unprofessional conduct.
Busker, Jackie Lee, Technician Registration #701623-3.
Johnson, Jerome M., Technician Registration #704144-4.
Rubink, Deborah K., Technician Registration #701806-6.
JUNE BOARD EXAM APPLICATION DEADLINES. With the College of Pharmacy at the University of Minnesota now on a semester system rather than a quarter system, students will be graduating from the College of Pharmacy at an earlier date than had been the case in the past. With this in mind, the Board has also moved up the date of the June Board Exam.
In the past, the June Board Exam was traditionally given during the last week of June. Now, with earlier graduation dates, the June Board Exam will be administered on June 6, 2000.
Candidates wishing to apply to sit for the June Board Exam must submit completed applications to the Board by April 21, 2000.
Pharmacists who intend to hire new graduates must keep in mind that, while the Board is giving its practical portion of the Exam on June 6, 2000, the NAPLEX and MPJE (law) portions of the Exam are taken at a different time. Both the NAPLEX and MPJE Exams are computer-based exams and students make their own appointments at the computer center to sit for those exams.
Letters authorizing students to practice, upon payment of the original licensure fee, will be sent to students when all three passing scores are received by the Board. The Board will not announce partial results for the Examination.
Pharmacists must refrain from scheduling new graduates for a shift as a pharmacist until they know for certain that the student has received the authorization to practice from the Board.
BOARD PROPOSES FEE INCREASES. The Board is currently in the process of completing rule changes that will increase the fees of virtually all of the Board’s licensees. The fee increases, being proposed by the Board, are shown below:
MINN. RULE 6800.0400 ANNUAL LICENSE RENEWAL DATE AND FEES.
Each pharmacy license shall expire on June 30 of each year and shall be
renewed annually by filing an application for license renewal, on or before June 1 of each
year, together with a fee of $150 $165. Renewal applications
received on or after July 1 are subject to a late filing fee of $75 an
amount equal to 50 percent of the renewal fee in addition to the renewal fee.
MINN. RULE 6800.1150 ANNUAL RENEWAL, FEES, AND POSTING.
A Pharmacist license expires on March 1 of each year and shall be
renewed annually by filing an application for license renewal on or before February 1 of
each year, together with a fee of $95 $105. A pharmacist license
renewal application received after March 1 is subject to a late filing fee of an amount
equal to 50 percent of the renewal fee in addition to the renewal fee.
A pharmacist shall post the license or renewal most recently issued by the board or a copy of it in a conspicuous place within the pharmacy in which the pharmacist is practicing. For community pharmacies, this place shall be a place which is readily visible to the public.
MINN. RULE 6800.1300 RECIPROCITY.
Subpart 1. Applications. An application for reciprocal licensure
(licensure as a pharmacist on the basis of licensure as a pharmacist in another state)
together with a fee of $195 $205 shall be filed with the director
of the board at least 30 days before the date the application is to be considered by the
board. The board will consider applications for reciprocity in at least January and June
of each calendar year.
MINN. RULE 6800.1400 DRUG MANUFACTURER OR WHOLESALER LICENSE.
Subpart 1. Licensing; fees. Every person engaged in
manufacturing, wholesale distribution, or selling of drugs, medicines, chemicals, or
poisons for medicinal purposes other than to the consuming public or patient shall
annually be licensed by the board. Upon the filing of an application, and upon payment of
a fee of $150 $180 for manufacturing or wholesale distribution of
prescription and nonprescription drugs, not including medical gases; $125
$155 for manufacturing or wholesale distribution of nonprescription drugs or
veterinary drugs only; $100 $130 for manufacturing or wholesale
distribution of prescription medical gases only; and $75 $105 for
licensed pharmacies engaged in wholesale distribution, the board may issue or renew a
license in such form as it may prescribe to the manufacturer or wholesale distributor. The
license shall be exposed in a conspicuous place in the manufacturer’s or
wholesaler’s place of business for which it is issued, shall expire at midnight on
June 1 of each year, and shall be renewed annually upon the filing of an application
therefore, on or before May 1 of each year together with the applicable fee. Renewal
applications received after June 1 shall be subject to a late filing fee of one-half of
the renewal fee in addition to the amount of the renewal fee.
MINN. RULE 6800.3850 PHARMACY TECHNICIANS.
Subp. 1c. Registration fee, late fee.
The fee for an initial registration is $15. Effective July 1, 2000, the initial registration is $20.
The fee for each annual renewal is $15. Effective July 1, 2000, the annual renewal is $20.
The fee must be paid at the time when a new application or a renewal application is submitted to the board.
Persons required to renew their registration under the part, who file an application which is received by the board after the date at which it is due, must pay a late fee of
one-half50 percent of the renewal fee in addition to the renewal fee.
Board of Pharmacy operations are funded solely by fees of its licensees. In order to balance its budget, which has been approved by the Legislature, the Board must increase its fees. The fee increases, being proposed by the Board, are in line with cost of living increases since the last time the fees were changed. The only exception to that general rule is in the case of pharmacy technicians, where the costs of conducting the registration system for pharmacy technicians and the costs of investigation and disciplinary conferences involving technicians were originally underestimated and a full increase of $5 is needed to recover the associated costs.
It is anticipated that these new fees will be in place by June 1st.
BOARD ELECTS OFFICERS FOR 2000. At its January meeting, the Board of Pharmacy elected Pharmacist Donald Gibson as its President for the Year 200, and Pharmacist Carl Benson as its Vice President.
The Board also set the following meeting dates for the rest of the Year 2000:
April 26, 2000 Business Meeting
June 6, 2000 Board Examination
June 7, 2000 Business Meeting
July 26, 2000 Business Meeting
September 13, 2000 Business Meeting
October 24, 2000 Business Meeting
December 6, 2000 Business Meeting
January 23, 2001 Board Examination
January 24, 2001 Business Meeting
Any potential agenda items, including applications for new pharmacies, must be received in the Board of Pharmacy office two weeks prior to the scheduled meeting dates.
CE REMINDER. It is approximately six months until the end of the current continuing education reporting cycle. All Minnesota licensed pharmacists should review their continuing education records and be prepared to report compliance with the Board’s continuing education requirements in late summer. Thirty hours of continuing education participation must have occurred between October 1, 1998 and September 30, 2000.
"PSEUDOEPHEDRINE SALES NEED TO BE MONITORED." This warning was first printed in the April 1999 edition of this newsletter. Recent twin cities newspaper headlines reporting on clandestine methamphetamine laboratory explosions in Minnesota would indicate that this warning is no less important today! DEA reports that 109 methamphetamine labs were found in Minnesota in 1999. Pseudoephedrine has replaced ephedrine as the precursor chemical of choice in the illicit production of methamphetamine in these labs. Much of this pseudoephedrine is obtained from legitimate over-the-counter decongestant cold preparations, both single entity pseudoephedrine and combination products. DEA has designated pseudoephedrine as a list 1 use. In spite of this, Board Surveyors report instances of self-service shelf stocks of over 100 packages, some containing 96 tablets of 30 mg. pseudoephedrine, in some retail pharmacies. This amount of pseudoephedrine is clearly an excessive quantity to have on self-service display. Additionally, the Board office often receives inquiries from practicing pharmacists concerned about attempts to purchase excessive quantities of pseudoephedrine containing products. Also, keep in mind that individuals involved in the illegal production of methamphetamine are probably not terribly concerned about shoplifting violations. Pharmacists must make sure that clerical staff is familiar with the need to bring any suspicious sales to the attention of the pharmacist before the sale is made. Pharmacists also have a duty to report such suspicious sales to DEA. Losses from theft should also be reported.
