Prescription drugs: 90-day supply.

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 prohibits a person from furnishing a dangerous drug except upon the prescription of specified practitioners, except as specified. Existing law authorizes a pharmacist filling a prescription order for a drug product to substitute a generic drug product or a drug product with a different form of medication having the same active chemical ingredients of equivalent strength and duration of therapy as the prescribed drug product, subject to specified requirements. Existing law also authorizes a pharmacist to refill a prescription for a dangerous drug without the prescriber's authorization under specified circumstances. This bill would authorize a pharmacist to dispense not more than a 90-day supply of a dangerous drug other than a controlled substance pursuant to a valid prescription if the patient has completed an initial 30-day supply of the drug, except as specified, the pharmacist is exercising his or her professional judgment, the pharmacist dispenses no more than the total amount prescribed, including refills, and the prescriber has not specified on the prescription that dispensing the prescription in an initial amount followed by periodic refills is medically necessary. The bill would prohibit a pharmacist from dispensing a dangerous drug pursuant to these provisions if the prescriber indicates "No change to quantity" or words of similar meaning, as specified. The bill would require a pharmacist dispensing an increased supply of a dangerous drug pursuant to these provisions to notify the prescriber of the increase in the quantity of dosage units dispensed. The bill would provide that these provisions are not applicable to psychotropic medication or psychotropic drugs, as described.