Prescription drug labels.

Existing law, the Pharmacy Law, provides for the licensure and regulation of the practice of pharmacy by the California State Board of Pharmacy. Existing law requires the board to promulgate regulations that require, on or before January 1, 2011, a standardized, patient-centered, prescription drug label on all prescription medication dispensed to patients in California. A knowing violation of the Pharmacy Law is a crime. This bill wouldrepeal that provision and would instead, on and after January 1, 2012, require prescription drug labels on all prescription drugs dispensed to patients in California to conform to a specified standardized, patient-centered format including that certain elements of the label be printed in a specified typeface and that, when applicable, directions for use utilize certain phrases and be translated into non-English languages, as specified. The bill would exempt from these requirements certain prescription drugs dispensed to patients in a health facility, as defined. The bill would require the board, by January 1, 2012, to develop, collect, and publish on its Internet Web site (1) translations of the directions for use into certain languages and (2) examples of labels meeting the standardized, patient-centered format requirements. The bill would require a pharmacy, by January 1, 2012, during its hours of operation, to provide interpreter services, as specified, to non-English-speaking patients at no charge to help the patient understand the information on his or her prescription drug label. The bill would also, by January 1, 2013, require a pharmacy to provide these non-English patients with any other written information relevant to the prescription drug in the patient's language. The bill would require these pharmacies to develop written policies and procedures by certain specified dates in order to carry out these requirements. Because a knowing violation of these requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.