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Minnesota Board of Pharmacy |
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Minnesota Board of Pharmacy |
DISCIPLINARY ACTIVITY. The Board took the following disciplinary actions concerning pharmacists between the dates of December 1, 2005 and March 1, 2006. Schroeder, Clifford E., License #113941-7. Mr. Schroeder successfully completed his probation and the Board granted his petition for an unrestricted license.
The following pharmacy technicians had their registration suspended or revoked:
Cervantes, Joseph R. Registration #702251-5; Dago, Stefano A. Registration #710501-8 Doheny, Dawn G., Registration #705406-2; Wicklund, Byron, Registration #712308-7.
The following pharmacy technicians had their registration reinstated: Coolidge, Nancy J., Registration #700376-7; Gallagher, Mary P., Registration #703126-3.
BOARD OF PHARMACY ELECTS NEW OFFICERS. At its meeting of January 11, 2006, the Board of Pharmacy elected Pharmacist Vern Kassekert, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, as Board President for calendar year 2006. Public Member Carleton Crawford, of Minneapolis, Minnesota was elected as Vice President. Mr. Kassekert is a pharmacist for Walgreen’s in White Bear Lake and has been a Board member since 1999. Mr. Crawford is employed as an architect and has been on the Board since 2003.
RURAL PHARMACY PLANNING AND TRANSITION GRANT PROGRAM. During the 2005 session, the Legislature passed, and Governor Tim Pawlenty signed into law, a bill that established a Rural Pharmacy Planning and Transition Grant Program (RPPTGP). The program, which is administered by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), is designed to preserve access to prescription medication and the skills of a pharmacist in rural areas. Funding is available to support the planning or implementation of projects that improve community access to prescription medication and the skills of a pharmacist. Board member Betty Johnson, a pharmacist from Elbow Lake, Minnesota, will be the Board’s representative on the RPPRGP Review Committee.
CONTINUING EDUCATION. Minnesota pharmacists are reminded that continuing education reporting is due no later than October 1st of every even-numbered year. There are now approximately six months left during which Minnesota pharmacists can complete and report their continuing education for the period from October 1, 2004 to September 30, 2006.
Upon completion of at least the required 30 hours of continuing education, the Certificate of Completion, which was previously mailed to all pharmacists, should be signed, dated, and returned to the Board of Pharmacy office.
The Pharmacist Self Assessment Mechanism (PSAM) is an on-line evaluation tool offered by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. It consists of 100 multiple choice questions, divided into 3 sections of equal length. Each section can be completed in as little as one hour; a maximum of three hours per section is allowed. After completing each section, the examinee has the option of completing a “feedback loop”. The loop displays each question, the answer chosen by the examinee, the correct answer, a brief explanation justifying the correct answer and a reference from which additional information can be obtained. Additional information can be found on the NABP website: www.nabp.net.
At its January meeting, the Board decided that pharmacists completing the PSAM may be granted six hours of continuing education credit. However, pharmacists will be granted credit only once every biennial reporting period.
Continuing education programs sponsored by drug companies. As of 10/1/06 the MN Board of Pharmacy will no longer approve continuing education programs that are directly put on or sponsored by drug companies or drug company representatives. Also, the Board will no longer accept drug companies or drug company representatives as MN Approved Providers. This change aligns Board policy with the decision of ACPE to no longer approve pharmaceutical and biomedical device manufacturers seeking accreditation as providers of continuing education.
Licensure and continuing education requirements for individuals called to active military duty. Per Minnesota law, individuals called to active military duty are exempted from the payment of all renewal fees and from the filing of any application for renewal during the time they are on active duty in the armed forces and for a further period of six months after release from active duty. While the law does not specifically mention other licensing requirements such as completion of continuing education, the Board has concluded that it is probable that the legislature intended that licensing agencies make reasonable accommodations for individuals called to active duty. Therefore, at its November 2005 meeting, the Board decided that individuals called to active military duty will be exempt from the normal continuing education requirements for the period they are on active duty and for a further period of six months after release from active duty.
REGISTRATION OF PHARMACIST INTERNS AS TECHNICIANS. In the past, pharmacist interns who on occasion also worked as pharmacy technicians had to be registered as both technicians and interns. At its January 2006 meeting, the Board of Pharmacy approved a change in this policy. As of January 11, 2006, individuals registered as interns in the state of Minnesota no longer need to be registered as a technician in order to work as a technician. Interns cannot receive credit for internship hours while they are working as a technician. If two interns are working at the same time, only one of them can be counted as an intern, unless the pharmacy has received a variance to the 1:1 intern to pharmacist ratio. The other must be counted as a technician when determining the technician to pharmacist ratio.
CANCER DRUG REPOSITORY PROGRAM. During the 2005 session, the Minnesota Legislature passed, and Governor Tim Pawlenty signed into law, a bill requiring the Board of Pharmacy to establish and maintain a cancer drug repository program (CDRP). Under the CDRP, any person may donate a cancer drug or supply for use by an individual who meets the eligibility criteria specified in the law. Donations must be made to a medical facility or pharmacy that elects to participate in the program and meets the requirements in the law.
Board of Pharmacy surveyors Stu Vandenberg and Les Kotek drafted guidelines for the CDRP and prepared forms titled “Cancer Drug Repository Program Notice of Participation or Withdrawal,” “Cancer Drug Repository Program Donation, Transfer, and Destruction Record,” and “Cancer Drug Repository Program Recipient Record.” The Board of Pharmacy approved the guidelines and forms at its January 2006 meeting. The guidelines and forms can be obtained from the Board’s office or downloaded from our website.
METHAMPHETAMINE PRECURSORS – AN UPDATE.
In 2005, Minnesota joined the ranks of states that have placed additional restrictions on the methamphetamine precursor drugs, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. Most products containing these drugs, either alone or in combination with other drugs, must now be kept behind the counter and sold only by pharmacists, pharmacy technicians or pharmacy clerks. Liquid products, liquid-filled gel capsules and pediatric products labeled for administration to children do not have to be kept behind the counter.
Packages must contain no more than three grams of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, calculated as the base drug, not the salt. For example, Claritin-D 24 Hour contains 240mg of pseudoephedrine sulfate, but only 181.8mg of the base. Consequently, 15 tablets contain 181.8mg * 15 = 2727 mg or 2.727 grams of pseudoephedrine base. Two of the 15 count packages of this product would contain about 5.5 grams of pseudoephedrine.
No more than two packages of products containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine may be sold in a single over-the-counter transaction. No person may make over-the-counter purchases of more than two packages, or more than six grams, per month. Licensed practitioners who are authorized to prescribe drugs may issue a prescription for larger quantities.
For over-the-counter sales, the pharmacy must require the buyer to provide photographic identification showing the buyer’s date of birth. Individuals must be at least 18 years old to purchase products that contain ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. The buyer must sign a paper or electronic document listing the date of the sale, the name of the buyer and the amount of drug sold.
PACKAGING FOR IRON-CONTAINING DIETARY SUPPLEMENT AND DRUG PRODUCTS. In 1997, the FDA issued a rule that required unit-dose packaging for dietary supplement and drug products that contain 30 mg or more of iron per dosage unit. That rule was challenged by the Nutritional Health Alliance (NHA), an association including manufacturers and distributors of iron-containing dietary supplements. On May 9, 2003, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York signed a final judgment declaring the rule to be invalid and without legal force or effect. Therefore, the FDA issued a rule on October 17, 2003 removing those parts of the 1997 final rule that required unit-dose packaging for dietary supplement and drug products that contain 30 mg or more of iron per dosage unit. This topic is being included in this newsletter because Board surveyors have received questions from pharmacists about the legal status of bulk packages of iron-containing products.
