SEPTEMBER 2015 NEWSLETTER
RENEWAL OF PHARMACIST LICENSES AND CS REGISTRATIONS:
Notices to renew your license to practice pharmacy and personal controlled substance registration have been mailed.
Your current pharmacist license and controlled substance registration will expire December 31, 2015, and must be renewed
prior to January 1, 2016. THERE IS NO GRACE PERIOD. To complete the process, you must:
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Submit the completed renewal applications; and
Enclose a check or money order in the amount of $155.00 ($105.00 for the pharmacist license and $50.00 for
the controlled substance registration) made payable to the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy; and
You must have completed TEN (10) hours of pharmacy continuing education (CE) which has been approved by
the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) or programs that have been approved by the
Board. All CE hours must have been obtained between the period January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015.
You ARE NOT required to submit copies of continuing education certificates or provide proof of completion
with your renewal but you are subject to audit by Compliance Agents. Please refer to ARTICLE IV, paragraphs
4., 5., and 6., of the Pharmacy Practice Regulations for continuing education requirements.
Any Pharmacist License not renewed by January 15th may be subject to disciplinary action by the Board.
Please return the completed applications for pharmacist license and controlled substance
renewal along with the fees together in the enclosed envelope.
Your completed renewal packet MUST BE POSTMARKED no later than December 31, 2015. Renewal packets received
after that date will be returned to you and a late renewal fee in the amount of $50.00 for Pharmacist Licenses and an
additional $50.00 for the Controlled Substance Registration will be assessed. The late fee must be paid prior to processing
your renewal. Failure to renew your license and registration in a timely manner could place you and/or your employer at risk
and may result in action by the Board against your license and registration as well as potential consequences with third party
payors.
Renewal applications received during the latter part of December may not be processed until after
January 1, 2016, due to the volume of applications received.
Renewal packets with insufficient postage will be returned to you.
RENEWAL OF IN-STATE PHARMACY PERMITS AND CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE
REGISTRATIONS:
Your current pharmacy permit and controlled substance registration, if one is required for your business
operation, will expire December 31, 2015, and must be renewed prior to January 1, 2016. To complete the
process, you must:


Submit the completed renewal applications; and
Enclose a check or money order in the amount of $350.00 ($300.00 for the pharmacy permit and $50.00 for
the controlled substance registration) made payable to the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy.
Please return the completed applications for permit and controlled substance renewal along with the
fees together in the enclosed envelope.
Your completed renewal packet MUST BE POSTMARKED no later than December 31, 2015. Renewal packets received
after that date will be returned to you and a late renewal fee in the amount of $50.00 for Pharmacy Permits and an additional
$50.00 for the Controlled Substance Registration will be assessed. The late fee must be paid prior to processing your
renewal. Failure to renew your pharmacy permit and controlled substance registration in a timely manner could result in
action by the Board against your permit and registration as well as potential consequences with third party payors.
Renewal applications received during the latter part of December may not be processed until after
January 1, 2016, due to the volume of applications received.
Renewal packets with insufficient postage will be returned to you.
LOSSES OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES
Pharmacists continue to fail to notify the Board of a loss or SUSPECTED loss of controlled substances,
whether from burglary, armed robbery, employee theft, customer pilferage, etc. ARTICLE XXV, INVENTORY
REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES, paragraph 1., requires that if a facility has a loss or
suspected loss of controlled substances, such incident shall be reported directly to the Board IMMEDIATELY
upon discovery. After contacting the Board, the Pharmacist will be instructed regarding inventory requirements and
any further reporting requirements if necessary.
In addition, if you have a burglary or attempted burglary, please contact Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics
Lt. John Harless IMMEDIATELY at 601-466-5471. Lt. Harless will receive calls regarding burglaries 24/7.
If you have suspicions of theft by a pharmacy employee, do not terminate employees without first
contacting our office for assistance. Such terminations complicate investigations that may be conducted by
the Board and/or other law enforcement agencies and will likely result in disciplinary action by the Board.
Do not attempt to handle drug diversion problems internally or be discouraged by your employer from
reporting suspicious activity. Your obligation to report losses to the Board overrides your employer’s wishes.
Hydrocodone and alprazolam continue to be the most diverted and abused controlled substances.
The person who signs the application for a pharmacy permit or the renewal of a pharmacy permit shall be
the Pharmacist-In-Charge for that facility and as such is responsible for all activities subject to regulation by the
Board. The Pharmacist-in-Charge may be held responsible for any losses of controlled substances from the
facility.
USP 795 AND 797 COMPLIANCE
The Board, in its May 21, 2015 meeting, voted to adopt provisions of USP 795 and USP 797 and
established January 1, 2017, as the deadline for compliance with provisions of each.
DESTRUCTION OF WASTE IN INSTITUTIONAL FACILITIES
On November 13, 2014, Compliance Agents voiced concerns to the Board that controlled substance waste
in institutional facilities is being returned to the pharmacy for destruction. After discussion, it is the opinion of the
Board that destruction of waste should be carried out at a time and location, when possible, proximal to the
administration of the medication by a licensed individual who administered the medication with a witness to the
destruction by a second licensed individual. After consideration of safety and diversion issues, the Board
recommended adoption of this policy effective immediately with intent of adoption and incorporation into the
Pharmacy Practice Regulations at the earliest possible time.
PRESCRIPTION MONITORING PROGRAM
The Board, in its March 26, 2015 meeting, considered and approved a request from Prescription
Monitoring Program Administrator, Dana Crenshaw, that pharmacies be required to utilize ASAP version 4.2 for
reporting of all dispensing information to the Program. Use of this version will increase accuracy in reporting to the
system. Pharmacist should contact their software suppliers and utilize this version for reporting by December 31,
2015.
The Board further approved Ms. Crenshaw’s request that all Mississippi Licensed Pharmacists be required
to register to utilize the Prescription Monitoring Program by December 31, 2015.
Please contact Ms. Crenshaw at 601-899-0138 for further information.
IDENTIFICATION OF PHARMACY TECHNICIANS
ARTICLE VIII, RESPONSIBILITY OF PHARMACIST/PHARMACIST CARE, paragraph 1., C.,
(6), of the Pharmacy Practice Regulations requires that Pharmacy Technicians in the dispensing area be readily
identifiable. The supervising Pharmacist may be subject to disciplinary action by the Board for failing to assure that
all Pharmacy Technicians are identified. In addition, Pharmacy Technicians may also be individually subject to
disciplinary action by the Board for failure to wear a name tag while on duty identifying him or her as such.