The Board of Pharmacy held the regularly scheduled meeting on September 3rd and 4th ,2020. Due to Governor Sisolak’s COVID-19 directives regarding large gatherings, this meeting was held via zoom.
The board meeting on the 3rd was mostly discipline hearings with the bulk of the discipline being prescribers called before the board due to problematic dispensing habits and strong regulations of controlled substances. The state of Nevada has more lenient laws for this practice of dispensing controlled substances than other states. These prescribers are currently allowed by regulations to dispense the controlled substances out of their offices. This has been a problem in our state for quite a while.
The board meeting on the 4th was public hearings and workshop. During the public hearing the board passed an emergency and a permanent regulation, R142-20, that will permit the pharmaceutical technician to administer immunizations. This regulation is needed to move the state forward not only for the upcoming COVID-19 vaccine but for all lifesaving vaccines. The pharmacy has proven to be the most convenient location for immunizations and this regulation will be important to allow the state to safely administer the vaccinations on a large scale.
The emergency and permanent regulation modifies the law in the following ways:
“A pharmaceutical technician under the direct and immediate supervision of a pharmacist may administer immunizations under the conditions prescribed in NAC 639.2971 if he or she has received the training required by NAC 639.2973 and the continuing education required by NAC 639.2974.”
Furthermore:
“A pharmaceutical technician may administer immunizations by an intranasal, intramuscular or subcutaneous injection under the direct and immediate supervision of a pharmacist who has subscribed to a written protocol established by a physician if the pharmacist has determined, in his or her professional judgment, that the patient should be immunized. A record of each immunization administered by the pharmaceutical technician must be maintained in the manner prescribed by NAC 639.2977.”
The emergency regulation was signed by Governor Sisolak on September 14, 2020. The Legislative Commission will be hearing the permanent regulation on September 18, 2020 to consider making this regulation permanent in Nevada. RAN members appreciate the governor and the board members, as well as the staff at the board, for moving so quickly to gain approval for this change in our laws.
RAN will be following this hearing and will update Chain Drug Council members after the hearing.