04/10/2023 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

                 HB 112-PROFESSION OF PHARMACY                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:27:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SUMNER announced  that the next order of  business would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL  NO. 112, "An Act  relating to the Board  of Pharmacy;                                                               
relating  to the  practice of  pharmacy; relating  to pharmacies;                                                               
relating   to  prescription   drug  manufacturers;   relating  to                                                               
prescriptions for epinephrine; relating  to the administration of                                                               
epinephrine; and providing for an effective date."                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:28:22 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE,  as prime  sponsor, introduced  HB 112.                                                               
He stated that the proposed  legislation has been worked over for                                                               
the  past  several years  by  multiple  chairs  of the  Board  of                                                               
Pharmacy, and  the governor had  requested this in regard  to the                                                               
use   of  "right-touch   regulations."     He  pointed   out  the                                                               
legislation  is  the  result  of  a  large  rewrite  of  pharmacy                                                               
regulations, citing  that the  pharmacy profession  has undergone                                                               
many  changes over  the past  several decades.   For  example, he                                                               
said, it  has gone  from pharmacists  going through  a bachelor's                                                               
degree program  to a doctoral  degree program, and  this produces                                                               
pharmacists  who are  capable of  clinical  work and  prescribing                                                               
some medications.   As a result of this change,  he insisted that                                                               
the regulations need to be updated.   He noted that some of these                                                               
changes would need to be statutory.   He stated that the proposed                                                               
legislation  is  a  culmination  of many  changes,  making  it  a                                                               
lengthy  bill  consisting  of   multiple  instances  of  clean-up                                                               
language.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:30:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   SADDLER   questioned   the   term   "right-touch                                                               
regulations."                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE responded that  this is an initiative by                                                               
the  governor to  update and  alter  the law  by only  regulating                                                               
"what  needs to  be  regulated, but  don't  overregulate."   This                                                               
would include clearing up any outdated regulations.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:31:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BRAEDEN GARRETT,  Staff, Representative Justin  Ruffridge, Alaska                                                               
State Legislature,  on behalf of Representative  Ruffridge, prime                                                               
sponsor, gave the  sectional analysis of HB 112.   He stated that                                                               
Section 1  would amend  AS 08.08.010(a)  by designating  that one                                                               
member  of  the   Board  of  Pharmacy  be   a  licensed  pharmacy                                                               
technician.   He stated that  the main proposed  changes include:                                                               
Section  2  would  add   an  epinephrine  auto-injector  training                                                               
program,  with the  remainder of  the subsections  being clean-up                                                               
language; Section  3 would change internship  details, along with                                                               
more  clean-up   language;  Section  4  would   add  out-of-state                                                               
pharmacies and  manufacturers to the  list of entities  that must                                                               
be licensed and inspected; Section  5 would update the compliance                                                               
requirement of the Drug Supply  Chain and Security Act; Section 6                                                               
would  add "pharmacy  and manufacturer"  to  the list  of out  of                                                               
state   inspections;   Section   7    would   remove   the   word                                                               
"registration"  because the  bill  would mandate  licensure of  a                                                               
facility;  Section 9  would add  a  salary range  option for  the                                                               
executive   administrator;  Section   10  would   add  the   term                                                               
"apothecary"  to  a  list  which  cannot  be  used  in  media  or                                                               
advertising unless  the store employs a  licensed pharmacist with                                                               
regular  hours;  and  Section   11  would  add  "pharmacist"  and                                                               
"pharmacy  technician"  to  the   list  of  professions  where  a                                                               
background check is required.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:33:59 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. GARRETT,  continuing the  sectional analysis,  indicated that                                                               
[Section  8],  Section  12  through Section  16,  and  [parts  of                                                               
Section   18]  would   create   and   regulate  the   epinephrine                                                               
autoinjector program.   He  stated that  Section 17  would define                                                               
the  "board"  as "the  Board  of  Pharmacy".   The  remainder  of                                                               
Section 18  would repeal  the requirement  of the  two affidavits                                                               
attesting  to  an applicant's  "good  moral  character," and  the                                                               
registration  of pharmacies  located outside  of the  state.   He                                                               
stated  that  Section  19 and  Section  20  contain  transitional                                                               
language,  with  Section 21  and  Section  22 pertaining  to  the                                                               
effective date.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:36:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ASHLEY  SCHABER,  PharmD,  MBA,  BCPS,  Chair,  Alaska  Board  of                                                               
Pharmacy,  gave  a  PowerPoint presentation  on  HB  112,  titled                                                               
"House Bill 112:  Profession of Pharmacy" [hard  copy included in                                                               
the  committee  packet].    She   stated  that  she  has  been  a                                                               
practicing pharmacist  in Alaska  for over 15  years.   She began                                                               
the  presentation by  describing the  Alaska Board  of Pharmacy's                                                               
strategic plan,  as seen on slide  2.  She stated  that the board                                                               
has  seven members,  with five  being pharmacists  and two  being                                                               
public members.   She added  that the  board has been  focused on                                                               
the regulation changes  for the past several years.   She pointed                                                               
out  that the  fourth goal  listed on  the slide  would grow  the                                                               
economy by  promoting community  health and  safety.   She stated                                                               
that many of the proposed  changes are related to this particular                                                               
goal,  including   the  following:  reviewing   regulations  with                                                               
reduced  barriers  to   licensure  without  compromising  patient                                                               
health  and safety;  advocating for  licensure as  the profession                                                               
evolves  with  improved patient  safety;  and  responding to  the                                                               
changes in the Drug Supply Chain Security Act.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
DR. SCHABER  expressed the belief  that the  proposed legislation                                                               
would  align with  the board's  strategic plan  and its  mission,                                                               
which  is  to  promote,  preserve,  and  protect  public  health,                                                               
safety, and  welfare through effective control  and regulation of                                                               
the practice  of pharmacy.  She  pointed out on slide  3 the four                                                               
goals  that  HB  112  would   address,  which  are:  streamlining                                                               
licensure, compliance  with the  Drug Supply Chain  Security Act,                                                               
alignment with  other relevant boards,  and clarification  of the                                                               
role of  pharmacists in  epinephrine access.   Moving to  slide 4                                                               
she stated  that streamlining licensure would  entail eliminating                                                               
unnecessary  statutory forms,  clarifying  the Prescription  Drug                                                               
Monitoring Program  requirements, and adding  national background                                                               
checks.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:40:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SADDLER requested  examples  of  the forms  which                                                               
would be eliminated.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
DR.  SCHABER  responded  these   would  be  the  moral  character                                                               
affidavit  forms   for  pharmacist   applicants.     These  forms                                                               
currently must be completed by  two citizens and submitted to the                                                               
division to be  processed.  She explained that  it was determined                                                               
that  these  forms  are  redundant  and  not  required  by  other                                                               
relevant boards.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:42:04 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DR. SCHABER moved to slide  5 which addressed compliance with the                                                               
Drug Supply Chain  and Security Act.  She stated  that the Act is                                                               
federal legislation to protect the  country's drug supply against                                                               
harmful medication.   She stated that pharmacies play  a key role                                                               
in this  process.   She added that  this also  addresses internet                                                               
pharmacies.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:43:30 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DR.  SCHABER,  in  response to  a  question  from  Representative                                                               
Saddler,  stated that  harmful drugs  mostly include  counterfeit                                                               
medications,   and   the   proposed  legislation   would   enable                                                               
pharmacies in the state to moderate the drug supply chain.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:44:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DR. SCHABER,  moving to slide  6, addressed the goal  of aligning                                                               
the  board's  statutes with  other  boards  in Alaska  and  other                                                               
states.   She stated this  would also allow  one of the  seats on                                                               
the board to  be a pharmacy technician, allow the  board to adopt                                                               
language for  retired pharmacist status, and  clarify the board's                                                               
executive administrator's  salary, allowing  for a  pharmacist to                                                               
serve in this role.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
DR.  SCHABER moved  to slide  7,  addressing epinephrine  access.                                                               
She  stated that  epinephrine training  programs  would be  moved                                                               
from the  Department of Health  to the  Board of Pharmacy.   This                                                               
also  would   allow  pharmacists   to  administer   or  prescribe                                                               
epinephrine.   She added that this  closely resembles regulations                                                               
concerning  the  administration  of opioid  overdose  medication.                                                               
She concluded  the presentation by requesting  that the committee                                                               
support HB 112.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:48:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SUMNER announced that HB 112 was held over.