The PA State Board of Pharmacy has reached out to stakeholders for comments and suggestions regarding draft rulemaking that would amend the Board’s regulations related to Opioid Education and Prescribing (#16A-5435).

Proposed Draft Language Related to Opioid Education:

• At least 2 of the required 30 hours during license renewal related to CE in pain management, addiction identification, or prescribing/dispensing of opioids for all pharmacists
• At least 2 hours of education in pain management/addiction AND 2 hours in prescribing/dispensing of opioids within 1 year of licensure, for holders of DEA registration or who utilize the DEA registration number of another person or entity, to prescribe controlled substances in any manner
• If pharmacists hold a current DEA registration or are utilizing the DEA registration of another, at least 2 hours of CE in pain management, addiction identification or prescribing/dispensing opioids is required upon biennial renewal

Proposed Draft Language Related to Administering Injectables:

• Changing the statutory reference from the Pharmacy Act to the Pharmacy Benefit Reform Act
• Removal of the requirement to complete immunization training specifically within three years of applying for authorization
• Details for reactivation of authority to administer injectable medications, biologics, and immunizations if lapsed for at least 2 years

If you have any comments, please email comments directly to RA-STRegulatoryCounsel@pa.gov no later than June 22, 2026 and reference rulemaking # 16A-5435 (Opioid Education and Prescribing). The draft document is available here.(Note: underlined text is new proposed language and the bracketed text is proposed to be deleted). The PSHP Ambulatory Care and Legislative Committees are also actively reviewing the draft rulemaking.

Zachary Adams, Executive Director of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania (PA), a legislative research agency of the PA General Assembly, presented to the PA State Board of Pharmacy on April 28^th. A few important takeaways included:

Demographic Data:

• Forty-nine counties in PA are projected to have more people 65+ years of age than people under 20 years old by 2050 (source: US Census Bureau and the PA State Data Center)
• In 2024, 9.5% of rural and 14.3% of urban households have no vehicle for people 65 years and older in PA (source: 2024 American Community Survey ACS, 5-year estimates, US Census Bureau)

Pharmacy Data:

• In 2025, the number of PA licensed pharmacists in rural areas included 4,350 vs. 14,614 in urban areas (source: 2025 SBOP, BPOA, PA Dept of State)
• In 2025, the number of licensed pharmacists per 10,000 residents in rural areas was 13 versus 15 in urban areas of PA (source: 2025 SBOP, BPOA, PA Dept of State)
• Pharmacy degrees conferred in PA from 2014 to 2024 was reduced from 1,131 to 851 (source: 2014-2024 IPPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics)
• Projected 2.2% pharmacist long-term growth (2022-2032) and 6.2% increase projected for pharmacy technicians in PA (2022-2032) (source: Projections Managing Partnership, Division of Technology Services-State of Utah & US Dept of Labor)
• There were 7,350 pharmacy technician job postings and 3,878 pharmacist job postings in PA in 2025 (source: 2025 Pharmacy Demand Report, AACP)

Opioid Use Disorder Data:

• Two-thirds of rural counties have no methadone providers (Source: Access to Medications for OUD and Harm Reductio Servies Across Rural PA, by Kristina Brant and Aden McCracken, Oct. 2025)
• 61% of rural PA counties do not have an opioid treatment program. An additional 29% only have 1 opioid treatment program in their county. (source: opioid treatment program directory, SAMHSA)

Our ask from you: Senators respond best to requests from their own constituents. Please reach out to your local State Senator to voice your support for this bill. You can look up your state senator here: https://www.palegis.us/find-my-legislator. Willing to spend 15 minutes meeting in person with your Senator’s local district office? Let us know by emailing pshp.execdir@pshp.org and we will help assist you in coordinating a visit and have a PSHP leader attend the meeting with you as needed. 

Many states are turning to a standard of care model to update their pharmacy practice acts and better reflect how other healthcare professions are regulated. Under a pharmacist standard‑of‑care approach, pharmacists can provide services that are evidence‑based, appropriate for the patient, and aligned with their training and professional judgment.

PSHP recently presented a virtual Town Hall on Impacting Standard of Care Pharmacy Practice. Pharmacists from several states shared what prompted their efforts, what they learned along the way, and how standard‑of‑care legislation is changing the way they care for patients.  Special thanks to panelists Kyle Robb, PharmD, Director, State Policy Advocacy, ASHP Office of Government Relations, Robert Theriault, Jr., BS Pharm, MBA, RPh, Director of Pharmacy Services, Mass General Brigham, Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, Loriann De Martini, PharmD, MPH, BCGP, CEO, California Society of Health-System Pharmacists (CSHP), and moderator Dan Longyhore, PharmD, EdD, FCCP, BCACP, System Director of Knowledge Management, Geisinger & PSHP Ambulatory Care Committee Co-Chair.

Interested in becoming more involved in Standard of Care in PA? Reach out to pshp.execdir@pshp.org today. Access a copy of the slides presented here. 

Senate Bill 1133 Recently Introduced To Add the First Pharmacy Technician and Expand Health-System Pharmacist Representation on the PA State Board of Pharmacy

On 1/9/26 Senate Bill 1133 was introduced by Senator Frank Farry in the PA Senate and referred to the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee. This important legislation would update the membership of the Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy to include the first pharmacy technician on the Board and right-size health-system pharmacist representation on the Board. At present, there are nine bill cosponsors (Senators Coleman, Collett, Baker, Kane, Culver, Schwank, Fontana, Vogel, and Malone) representing bipartisan sponsorship. SB1133 is a companion bill to House Bill 980 which passed unanimously with bipartisan support from the House Professional Licensure Committee in October 2025.  Here is a link to the current version of the bill:

https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/sb1133

Since the 1980s, the Board has included five pharmacists, with limited representation from those working in hospitals and health systems. Given the significant growth in pharmacy services within these settings, it is crucial that we enhance their representation on the Board. Currently, only one pharmacist represents acute care/hospital-based professionals, which does not adequately reflect the complexity and scope of their work.

Additionally, there is no representation from pharmacy technicians on the Board, despite their recent requirement to become registered in PA and their essential role in the medication process across Pennsylvania.

The proposed legislation seeks to amend the Pharmacy Act to include a second acute care institutional pharmacist.  A pharmacy technician would be added so that their important voice can be heard. This change would ensure that diverse perspectives are considered in decision-making and align the Board's composition with other health professional Boards.

By right-sizing the Board’s membership to best mirror pharmacy representation across the state, we can create a more effective governance structure that reflects the evolving nature of pharmacy practice in our Commonwealth.

PSHP is committed to advocating for passage of this bill. Earlier this month we participated in legislative meetings  with Senators and senior leadership at the capitol in Harrisburg to advocate on your behalf. Watch your email for additional information and a call to action how you can also become involved.

The legislation’s next step is for State Senate consideration of the Senate companion bill SB1055

Interested in being part of the discussion as to future pharmacy jurisprudence examination requirements in Pennsylvania? Join the State Board of Pharmacy (SBOP) meeting on December 2, 2025 where both Michigan and Vermont presentations will be shared on their experience not requiring any MPJE examination. During the October 7, 2025 SBOP meeting, additional exploratory discussion occurred regarding different options for jurisprudence examination requirements for future pharmacists in the state. A state-specific module option idea was again mentioned for possible consideration. PSHP reiterated our opposition to requiring a jurisprudence examination as shared earlier this year. It was noted that a few states including Michigan, Alaska, Idaho, and Vermont do not require such law examination for pharmacy licensure. The December 2^nd 20265 meeting will be held in a hybrid format. The information to join the public meeting either in person (Eaton Conference Room, 2525 N. 7th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110) or remotely can be found on the Board’s website www.dos.pa.gov/pharm.

Click here for a sample letter to use to reach out to YOUR state senator to ask them to answer Senator Farry's call for cosponsors in his recently filed memo (SCO 1383). As a reminder, here is how to find your PA State Senator: https://www.palegis.us/find-my-legislator If you would like assistance with the process, please reach out to Tony Bixler abixler2@wellspan.org or pshp.execdir@pshp.org.

Please take 10 minutes to send this important letter. We'd love for you to also be willing to meet with your PA State Senator too - either in their home (District) office or in Harrisburg. A PSHP leader is willing to join you for your Senator visit, just ask! Let's all work together to advance this legislation in the Senate. 

Educational requirements for authorization to administer injectables was also discussed. The SBOP is considering less restrictions by removing the timeframe of educational course completion, currently stated as within 3 years prior to the application for authorization to administer injectables. Related changes to the regulations will be brought forward to a future meeting.

The SBOP shared that discussion of the future pharmacy law examination requirements for Pennsylvania will be an agenda item during the next meeting, scheduled for October 7th  2025 in Harrisburg.

Interested in attending a SBOP meeting but uncertain of what to expect? The meetings are open to the public and attendance is either virtual or in person, beginning at 10:30am and lasting for approximately 2 hours (depending on the agenda). Reach out to pshp.execdir@pshp.org if you are interested in joining PSHP representatives in Harrisburg at a future meeting. We’d be happy to have you join us!

You can find more information about the application process at the State Board of Pharmacy’s website. Many of the administrative requirements, such as CE requirements and FBI criminal history checks are unable to be waived by the Board. For more information, click here. 

Pharmacy Technician Registration is now live in Pennsylvania. Pharmacy technicians in Pennsylvania will have 1 year to register. See publication published the end of June in the Pennsylvania Bulletin here.

In addition to background checks/clearances, three hours of child abuse education documentation will be initially required for each pharmacy technician upon registration. Pharmacy technicians in PA have one year to register. According to information shared at the July 29th State Board of Pharmacy meeting, once a technician applicant creates their PALS account, they are only required to complete either verification of practice or verification of training forms, both are not required.

Effective July 7, 2025, all new applicants for health care practitioner licenses must obtain a fingerprint-based FBI background check for review as part of their application. Applicants must pre-register for fingerprinting services through IdentoGO and use the service code provided during the application process to ensure the PA State Board of Pharmacy receives the results. IdentoGo accepts these identification documents. Note: Licensees renewing their Pennsylvania or multistate licenses are NOT required to obtain a background check for renewal.

Click here for more information. 

During the June 17^th 2025 meeting, the PA State Board of Pharmacy (SBOP) incorporated modifications to section 27.21, Application for examination and licensure, of the pharmacy regulations to accommodate future potential consideration of NABP’s uniform MPJE examination. An additional aspect of the modified text approved during the June 17, 2025 SBOP meeting included the statement 27.24(d), “The Board may require evidence of additional Pennsylvania-specific jurisprudence training in addition to the Board-identified pharmacy jurisprudence examination.” The SBOP will also incorporate language permitting pharmacy students to sit for jurisprudence examination prior to graduation. Importantly, these changes will allow more flexibility and timeliness of attaining licensure in the Commonwealth, although such changes in Pennsylvania will still require legislative approval. While NABP will offer a uniform MPJE examination starting in summer of 2026, the timeline of incorporating into PA’s jurisprudence examination process is still to be determined.

The Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General approved the Regulation 16A-5433 - Pharmacy Technician Registration after the Pennsylvania Independent Regulatory Review Commission issued an order notifying the promulgating agency, the standing committees, and the Legislative Reference Bureau of its approval by a 5-0 vote at the May 15, 2025 meeting. The regulation was just published as final in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. See publication here. The regulation becomes effective on the date that it is published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. In addition to background checks/clearances, three hours of child abuse education documentation will be initially required for each pharmacy technician upon registration. Pharmacy technicians in Pennsylvania will have 1 year to register. During the June 17, 2025 PA State Board of Pharmacy meeting, questions were raised regarding the registration process. The operational details of the registration process were still being finalized, and we anticipate a general communication to answer frequently asked questions to be available this summer.