Board of Pharmacy

During New Jersey’s declared state of emergency resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacists may fill prescriptions written by Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs), to include prescriptions that do not include the name of a collaborating physician.  Pursuant to Governor Murphy’s Executive Order 112 and pursuant to the Division of Consumer Affairs’ Administrative Order 2020-02 , statutory and regulatory requirements that would otherwise mandate that an APN maintain a joint protocol with a collaborating physician, and that the collaborating physician’s name, address and telephone number be included on prescriptions written by the APN, have been waived.  Although the public health emergency originally declared in Executive Order 112 has ended, the state of emergency remains in effect.  Additionally, pursuant to Executive Order 292, the cited provisions of both EO 112 and AO 2020-02 remain in full force and effect at this time. 

N.J.A.C. 10:51‐1.2(b) requires that you notify the Medicaid/NJ FamilyCare (NJFC) Program of any change in ownership by submitting an updated Ownership Disclosure form, from the Pharmacy Provider Enrollment Application, to Gainwell Technologies Provider Enrollment Unit to initiate a review process. Pharmacy Provider Enrollment Applications may be found at www.njmmis.com.  Questions can be directed to Gainwell Technologies Provider Enrollment Unit at 609-588-6036 or NJMMISproviderenrollment@gainwelltechnologies.com. Failure to do so may result in action by the Medicaid program.

We have reviewed the April 14, 2023 statement from Attorney General Platkin on the prescribing, dispensing and administration of mifepristone by licensed health care practitioners. We recognize the need for patients to have access to prescribed medication and acknowledge the responsibility of pharmacists and pharmacies to fill valid prescriptions pursuant to N.J.S.A. 45:14-67.1.

This Board will exercise its administrative and prosecutorial discretion and will not discipline licensees who dispense mifepristone in a manner consistent with the standards and conditions that were recognized nationally prior to the recent decisions and Orders entered by the Texas District Court, Washington District Court and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. This policy statement shall remain in full force and effect until such time as there is clarity of law on standards and conditions for use of mifepristone in this State.

Click here to view the statement from Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin on the use of mifepristone by licensed medical professionals.

Effective August 1, 2020, Governor Murphy signed into law P.L. 2019, c. 388, which amends the Pharmacy Practice Act (N.J.S.A. 45:14-83 to 86) to address the sale of non-prescription diabetes test devices.

The statute defines a non-prescription diabetes test device as "a glucose meter or test strip for use in the treatment of prediabetic or diabetic individuals that may be sold without a prescription and that is labeled for use by the consumer in accordance with applicable State and federal law."  The statute requires a manufacturer of non-prescription diabetes test devices distributed in New Jersey to make the names of its authorized distributors available on its website.

The statute prohibits a "retail mercantile establishment" from engaging in the following practices:

1. Test devices that are not from the manufacturer or an authorized distributor:  The statute prohibits any retail mercantile establishment from selling or offering to sell a non-prescription diabetes test device that was not acquired directly from the manufacturer or an authorized distributor, unless the device is plainly marked to disclose that it was not acquired from the manufacturer or an authorized distributor, or a sign at the point of sale makes this disclosure.


2. Repackaged test devices:  The statute also prohibits any retail mercantile establishment from selling or offering to sell a nonprescription diabetes test device that was previously sold and repackaged, unless the device is plainly marked to disclose that it was previously sold and re-packaged, or a sign at the point of sale makes this disclosure.

The statute provides that a pharmacist who violates these prohibitions by selling, offering for sale, or otherwise dispensing a non-prescription diabetes test device that the pharmacist knows or reasonably should have known was not acquired by the pharmacy either directly from the manufacturer or from one of the manufacturer's authorized distributors is subject to disciplinary action.

The statute defines retail mercantile establishment as "any place of business where merchandise is exposed or offered for sale at retail to members of the public" including "entities that use the Internet or other electronic means to expose or offer merchandise for sale at retail to consumers in New Jersey."

A pharmacy that dispenses non-prescription diabetes test devices pursuant to prescriptions shall retain records of the acquisition, inventory, and sale of those non-prescription diabetes test devices.

USP <800> will become effective on December 1, 2019 in New Jersey pursuant to the regulations of the New Jersey Board of Pharmacy (the Board).  The purpose of this guidance document is for the Board to provide information and direction to those pharmacists performing hazardous sterile and non-sterile compounding after December 1, 2019.  If a pharmacy is not performing any compounding, the Board’s regulations requiring compliance with USP <800> do not apply to that pharmacy.  Please review the guidance document in its entirety for the complete details regarding compliance with USP <800>.
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The Board of Pharmacy recognizes that New Jersey pharmacists are facing unique situations serving Puerto Rico & the U.S. Virgin Islands evacuees due to the devastating effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria on those areas. The Board advises pharmacists to use their expertise and professional judgment during this emergency and to follow the steps below to help ensure our primary goal of serving patients’ health and safety.
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While the New Jersey Board of Pharmacy (Board) currently has regulations in effect regarding hazardous compounding, the Board believes that the implementation of USP <800> will offer enhanced safeguards to improve the safety of patients and individuals working with hazardous drugs (HD) at any point in the process of preparing HD prescriptions. The Board has adopted USP <800> and the proposed effective date for pharmacies to meet the new requirements is the official date of General Chapter 800, which originally was July 1, 2018 and is now anticipated to be December 1, 2019.

The Board is reaching out to make all licensees aware of their obligations in order to be in compliance with the requirements detailed in USP <800>. The Board also understands that the extent to which each type of pharmacy practice site will be affected by complying with this new chapter will vary.

To that end, the Board has created this high-level timeline checklist to assist licensees in understanding what the requirements are for their practice site in order to prepare to be in compliance with USP <800>. ​​
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New Jersey laws currently do not differentiate between prescriptions for human use and those for animals. N.J.A.C. 13:39-1.2 provides the following definition for “Drug or medication.”
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Zika is a viral infection that is usually spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. It can sometimes be spread by having sex with an infected partner. The most common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain or red eyes. Other common symptoms include muscle pain and headache. Outbreaks are occurring in multiple tropical countries in South American, Central America and the Caribbean. Zika virus infection in pregnant women may result in serious birth defects. Pregnant women are being advised to postpone travel to Zika-affected areas. If travel is absolutely necessary, steps to prevent mosquito bites should be strictly followed.

​​For more information on this evolving situation, please visit the New Jersey Department of Health’s Zika Virus Website.

An act concerning the sale of dextromethorphan to minors, P.L. 2015, c. 114, became effective on February 1, 2016. It states: N.J.S.A 2A:170-51.7 Sale of dextromethorphan to persons under 18 prohibited; violations, penalties. The provisions of this act shall not apply to any prescription medication containing dextromethorphan as an active ingredient that is dispensed by a pharmacist pursuant to a valid prescription. The Department of Health shall include on its website  a comprehensive list of products that contain dextromethorphan as an active ingredient. This requirement may be satisfied by including on the Department of Health website a link to the list of products containing dextromethorphan as an active ingredient that is published by the National Institutes of Health, provided that such list is current and accurate.
View Notice (10/18/16)

On January 7, 2013 the Board of Pharmacy and Drug Control Unit adopted rules to allow pharmacies to receive Schedule II controlled substances prescriptions electronically in accordance with federal requirements. New Jersey practitioners and pharmacies can utilize EPCS for all patient prescriptions.
View EPCS Information (10/05/15)

The Division of Consumer Affairs, in conjunction with the Board of Pharmacy, is providing the following information concerning Doctors of Optometry (O.D.), Optometrists, and the medication prescriptive authority granted to Optometrists with a Therapeutic Pharmaceutical Agent (TPA) Certification, in order to assist pharmacists and pharmacy personnel in filling prescription issued by Optometrists:
View Notice (09/25/14)

It has come to the attention of the Board of Pharmacy that a number of Pharmacy Technicians may not be abiding by the regulations related to obtaining and maintaining an active registration as a Pharmacy Technician in the State of New Jersey. Effective immediately, Pharmacy Technicians who do not hold a valid registration, and who fall into one of the three groups outlined in the attached memo, have until May 15, 2014 to come into full compliance with the requirements of N.J.A.C. 13:39-6.6 "Pharmacy technician registration and pharmacy technician applicants." All Pharmacists-in-Charge and those individuals performing the duties of Pharmacy Technicians are encouraged to review this information in it's entirety via the link below.
View Notice

Three N.J. Pharmacists Surrender Their Licenses Amid Pending Criminal Charges in Interstate Prescription Drug Distribution Ring
View Notice (11/18/13)

The best practices outlined are recommendations to achieve a safe operating environment for pharmacy employees and cust omers and lower the potential for adverse events.
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• CDC Health Advisory(04/04/13)
• New England Compounding Center (NECC) - Preliminary Investigation Findings (10/23/12)
• FDA Statement (10/15/12)
• Multistate Meningitis Outbreak Investigation
• CDC Health Advisory (10/04/12)
• CDC Current Information
• NAPB Statement: New England Compounding Center Linked to Meningitis Outbreak