Cancer Medication Advisory Committee.

Existing law, the Pharmacy Law, provides for the licensure and regulation of the practice of pharmacy by the California State Board of Pharmacy, which that law establishes in the Department of Consumer Affairs. The board also administers and enforces the Uniform Controlled Substances Act. Existing law authorizes a county to establish a voluntary drug repository and distribution program for the purpose of distributing surplus medications to persons in need of financial assistance to ensure access to necessary pharmaceutical therapies. Existing law requires a surplus medication collection and distribution intermediary, established for the purpose of facilitating the donation of medications to, or transfer of medications between, participating entities under the program, to be licensed by the board. This bill would require the California State Board of Pharmacy to establish the Cancer Medication Advisory Committee for the purpose of identifying the best mechanism to enable the transfer of unused cancer medications to persons in need of financial assistance to ensure access to necessary pharmaceutical therapies. The bill would require the committee to be composed of 9 specified members and would require members of the committee to serve without compensation. The bill would require the committee to research and recommend potential statutory changes to expand access to affordable or no-cost medications for cancer patients by, among other things, analyzing the effectiveness of those existing provisions of law that authorize a county to establish the voluntary drug repository and distribution program and determining necessary revisions, if any, to those provisions. The bill would require the committee to submit a report that includes specified information to the California State Board of Pharmacy, the Governor's office, and the Legislature on or before July 1, 2021. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2022.