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Title 40 - Professions and Occupations

CHAPTER 43.

PHARMACISTS

SECTION 40-43-10. Short title; purpose of chapter; severability of provisions.

This chapter may be cited as the "South Carolina Pharmacy Practice Act". The purpose of this chapter is to promote, preserve, and protect the public health, safety, and welfare by and through the effective control and regulation of the practice of pharmacy; the licensure of pharmacists; the licensure, permitting, control, and regulation of all sites or persons, in or out of this State, that distribute, manufacture, possess, or sell drugs or devices within this State, as may be used in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of injury, illness, and disease of a patient or other individual.

The practice of pharmacy shall center around the provision of pharmacy care services and assisting the patient to achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes.

If a provision of this chapter is declared unconstitutional or illegal, or the applicability of this chapter to a person, pharmacy, or circumstance is held invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the constitutionality or legality of the remaining provisions of this chapter and the application of this chapter to other persons, pharmacies, and circumstances are not affected and shall remain in full force and effect without the invalid provision or application.

SECTION 40-43-20. License required.

Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, it is unlawful for an individual to engage in the practice of pharmacy unless currently licensed pursuant to this chapter.

SECTION 40-43-30. Definitions.

For purposes of this chapter:

(1) "Administer" means the direct application of a drug or device pursuant to a lawful order of a practitioner to the body of a patient by injection, inhalation, ingestion, topical application, or any other means.

(2) "Biological safety cabinet" means a containment unit suitable for the preparation of low-to-moderate risk agents where there is a need for protection of the product, personnel, and environment, according to National Sanitation Foundation Standard 49.

(3) "Board" or "Board of Pharmacy" means the State Board of Pharmacy.

(4) "Brand name" means the proprietary or trade name placed upon a drug, its container, label, or wrapping at the time of packaging.

(5) "Chart order" means a lawful order from a practitioner for a drug or device for patients of a hospital or extended care facility, or such an order prepared by another person and signed by a practitioner either immediately or at another time, issued for a legitimate medical purpose within the practitioner's course of legitimate practice and including orders derived on behalf of a practitioner from a practitioner approved drug therapy management.

(6) "Class 100 environment" means an atmospheric environment which contains less than one hundred particles 0.5 microns in diameter per cubic foot of air.

(7) "Compounding" means the preparation, propagation, conversion, or processing of a drug or device, either directly or indirectly, by extraction from substances of natural origin or independently by means of chemical or biological synthesis, or the preparation, mixing, assembling, packaging, or labeling of a drug or device as the result of a practitioner's prescription drug order or initiative based on the practitioner/patient/pharmacist relationship in the course of professional practice, or for the purpose of, or as an incident to, research, teaching, or chemical analysis and not for sale or dispensing. Compounding also includes the preparation of drugs or devices in anticipation of prescription drug orders based on routine, regularly observed prescribing patterns. The term compounding does not include mixing, reconstituting, or other such acts that are performed in accordance with directions contained in approved labeling provided by the product's manufacturer and other manufacturer directions consistent with that labeling.

(8) "Confidential information" means information maintained in a patient's records or which is communicated to a patient as part of patient counseling, which is privileged and may be released only to the patient, to those practitioners and pharmacists where, in the pharmacist's professional judgment, release is necessary to protect the patient's health and well being, and to other persons or governmental agencies authorized by law to receive such confidential information.

(9) "Cytotoxic agent" means a drug that has the capability of killing living cells.

(10) "Deliver" or "delivery" means the actual, constructive, or attempted transfer of a drug or device from one person to another, whether or not for consideration.

(11) "Designated agent" means a person employed by an authorized practitioner to transmit, either orally or electronically, a prescription drug order on behalf of the authorized practitioner to the pharmacist. The authorized practitioner accepts the responsibility for the correct transmission of the prescription drug order.

(12) "Designated pharmacist" means an individual currently licensed by the Board of Pharmacy in this State who certifies internship training.

(13) "Device" means an instrument, apparatus, implement, machine, contrivance, implant, or other similar or related article, including any component part or accessory, which is required under federal law to bear the label: "Caution: Federal law restricts this device for sale by or on the order of a ___________", the blank to be filled with the word physician, dentist, veterinarian, or with the descriptive designation of any other practitioner licensed by the law of the State in which he practices to use or order the use of the device; or "Federal law prohibits dispensing without prescription"; or any products deemed to be a public health threat after notice and public hearing as designated by the board.

(14) "Dispense" means the transfer of possession of one or more doses of a drug or device by a licensed pharmacist or person permitted by law, to the ultimate consumer or his agent pursuant to a lawful order of a practitioner in a suitable container appropriately labeled for subsequent administration to, or use by, a patient. As an element of dispensing, the dispenser shall, before the actual physical transfer, interpret and assess the prescription order for potential adverse reactions or side effects, interactions, allergies, dosage, and regimen the dispenser considers appropriate in the exercise of his professional judgment, and the dispenser shall determine that the drug or device called for by the prescription is ready for dispensing. The dispenser shall also provide counseling on proper drug usage, either orally or in writing, as provided in this chapter. The actual sales transaction and delivery of a drug or device is not considered dispensing and the administration is not considered dispensing.

(15) "Distribute" means the delivery of a drug or device other than by administering or dispensing.

(16) "Drug" or "medicine" means:

(a) articles recognized as drugs in an official compendium, or supplement to a compendium, including, but not limited to, USP/NF designated from time to time by the board for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in humans or other animals;

(b) articles intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in humans or other animals;

(c) articles, other than food, or nonprescription vitamins intended to affect the structure or a function of the human body or other animals; and

(d) articles intended for use as a component of any articles specified in item (a), (b), or (c) of this subsection.

(17) "Drug regimen review" includes, but is not limited to, the following activities:

(a) evaluation of prescription drug orders and pharmacy patient records for:

(i) known allergies;

(ii) rational therapy-contraindications;

(iii) reasonable dose and route of administration; and

(iv) reasonable directions for use.

(b) evaluation of prescription drug orders and pharmacy patient records for duplication of therapy.

(i) drug-drug;

(ii) drug-food;

(iii) drug-disease, if available; and

(iv) adverse drug reactions.

(d) evaluation of prescription drug orders and pharmacy patient records for proper utilization, including over-utilization or under-utilization, and optimum therapeutic outcomes.

(18) "Drug therapy management" is that practice of pharmacy which involves the expertise of the pharmacist in a collaborative effort with the practitioner and other health care providers to ensure the highest quality health care services for patients.

(19) "Enteral" means within or by way of the intestine.

(20) "Equivalent drug product" means a drug product which has the same established name and active ingredients to meet the same compendia or other applicable standards, but which may differ in characteristics such as shape, scoring configuration, packaging, excipient (including colors, flavors, preservatives), and expiration time. Pharmacists may utilize as a basis for the determination of generic equivalency Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations and current supplements published by the Federal Food and Drug Administration, within the limitations stipulated in that publication.

(21) "Extern" means an individual currently enrolled in an approved college or school of pharmacy who is on required rotations for obtaining a degree in pharmacy.

(22) "Generic names" mean the official compendia names or United States Adopted Names (USAN).

(23) "Health care provider" includes a pharmacist who provides health care services within the pharmacist's scope of practice pursuant to state law and regulation.

(24) "Institutional facility" means an organization whose primary purpose is to provide a physical environment for patients to obtain health care services and shall not include those places where physicians, dentists, veterinarians, or other practitioners, who are duly licensed, engage in private practice.

(25) "Institutional pharmacy" means the physical portion of an institutional facility that is engaged in the compounding, dispensing, and distribution of drugs, devices, and other materials, hereinafter referred to as "drugs", used in the diagnosis and treatment of injury, illness, and disease and which is permitted by the State Board of Pharmacy.

(26) "Institutional consultant pharmacist" means a pharmacist licensed in this State who acts as a consultant for institutional facilities.

(27) "Intern" means an individual who is currently registered by certificate in this State to engage in the practice of pharmacy while under the personal supervision of a pharmacist and is satisfactorily progressing toward meeting the requirements for licensure as a pharmacist.

(28) "Labeling" means the process of preparing and affixing a label which includes all information required by federal and state law to a drug container exclusive of the labeling by a manufacturer, packer, or distributor of a nonprescription drug or commercially packaged legend drug or device.

(29) "Manufacturing" of products means the production, preparation, propagation, conversion, or processing of a drug or device, either directly or indirectly, by extraction from substances of natural origin or independently by means of chemical or biological synthesis, or from bulk chemicals, and includes any packaging or repackaging of the substances or labeling or relabeling of its container, if these actions are followed by the promotion and marketing of the drugs or devices for resale to pharmacies, practitioners, or other persons.

(30) "Manufacturer" means a person engaged in the manufacture of prescription drugs or devices.

(31) "Medical order" means a lawful order of a practitioner which may or may not include a prescription drug order.

(32) "Nonprescription drug" means a drug which may be sold without a prescription and which is labeled for use by the consumer in accordance with the requirements of the laws of this State and the federal government.

(33) "Nonresident pharmacy" means a pharmacy located outside this State.

(34) "Parenteral" means a sterile preparation of drugs for injection through one or more layers of the skin.

(35) "Patient counseling" means the oral or written communication by the pharmacist to a patient or caregiver providing information on the proper use of drugs and devices.

(36) "Permit consultant pharmacist" means a pharmacist licensed in this State who acts as a consultant for a permit holder other than a pharmacy or institution.

(37) "Person" means an individual, sole-proprietorship, corporation, partnership, association, or any other legal entity including government.

(38) "Pharmacy care" is the direct provision of drug therapy and other pharmacy patient care services through which pharmacists, in cooperation with the patient and other health care providers, design, implement, monitor, and manage therapeutic plans for the purpose of improving a patient's quality of life. Objectives include cure of disease, elimination or reduction of a patient's symptomatology, arresting or slowing a disease process, or prevention of a disease or symptomatology. The process includes three primary functions:

(a) identifying potential and actual drug-related problems;

(b) resolving actual drug-related problems; and

(39) "Pharmacist" means an individual health care provider licensed by this State to engage in the practice of pharmacy. A pharmacist is a learned professional authorized to provide patient care services within the scope of his knowledge and skills.

(40) "Pharmacist-in-charge" means a pharmacist currently licensed in this State who accepts responsibility for the operation of a pharmacy in conformance with all laws pertinent to the practice of pharmacy and the distribution of drugs and who is in full and actual charge of the pharmacy and personnel.

(41) "Pharmacy" means a location for which a pharmacy permit is required and in which prescription drugs and devices are maintained, compounded, and dispensed for patients by a pharmacist. This definition includes a location where pharmacy-related services are provided by a pharmacist.

(42) "Pharmacy technician" means an individual other than an intern or extern, who assists in preparing, compounding, and dispensing medicines under the personal supervision of a licensed pharmacist and who is required to register as a pharmacy technician.

(43) "Poison" means:

(a) a drug, chemical, substance, or preparation which, according to standard works on medicine, materia medica, or toxicology, is liable to be destructive to adult human life in doses of sixty grains or less; or

(b) a substance recognized by standard authorities on medicine, materia medica, or toxicology as poisonous; or

(d) a drug, chemical, substance, or preparation which is labeled "Poison".

(44) "Practice of pharmacy" means the interpretation, evaluation, and dispensing of prescription drug orders in the patient's best interest; participation in drug and device selection, drug administration, prospective drug reviews, and drug or drug-related research; provision of patient counseling and the provision of those acts or services necessary to provide pharmacy care and drug therapy management; and responsibility for compounding and labeling of drugs and devices, (except labeling by a manufacturer, repackager, or distributor or nonprescription drugs and commercially packaged legend drugs and devices) proper and safe storage of drugs and devices and maintenance of proper records for them; or the offering or performing of those acts, services, operations, or transactions necessary in the conduct, operation, education, management, and control of pharmacy.

(45) "Practitioner" means a physician, dentist, optometrist, podiatrist, veterinarian, or other health care provider authorized by law to diagnose and prescribe drugs and devices.

(46) "Prescription drug" or "legend drug" means:

(a) a drug which, under federal law, is required, prior to being dispensed or delivered, to be labeled with any of the following statements:

(i) "Caution: Federal law prohibits dispensing without prescription";

(ii) "Caution: Federal law restricts this drug to use by, or on the order of, a licensed veterinarian";

(iii) "Rx only"; or

(b) a drug which is required by any applicable federal or state law to be dispensed pursuant only to a prescription drug order or is restricted to use by practitioners only;

(c) any drug products considered to be a public health threat, after notice and public hearing as designated by the board; or

(d) any prescribed compounded prescription is a prescription drug within the meaning of this act.

(47) "Prescription drug order" means a lawful order from a practitioner for a drug or device for a specific patient, issued for a legitimate medical purpose within the prescriber's course of legitimate practice and including orders derived from collaborative pharmacy practice.

(48) "Prospective drug use review" means a review of the patient's drug therapy and prescription drug order before dispensing the drug as part of a drug regimen review.

(49) "Significant adverse drug reaction" means a drug-related incident that may result in serious harm, injury, or death to the patient.

(50) "Sterile pharmaceutical" means a dosage form devoid of viable micro-organisms.

(51) "Therapeutically equivalent" means a drug product with the same efficacy and toxicity when administered to an individual as the originally prescribed drug as provided for in Section 39-24-40.

(52) "Wholesale distributor" means a person engaged in wholesale distribution of prescription drugs or devices including, but not limited to, manufacturers; repackagers; own-label distributors; private-label distributors; jobbers; brokers; warehouses including manufacturers' and distributors' warehouses, chain drug warehouses, and wholesale drug warehouses; independent wholesale drug traders; and retail pharmacies that conduct wholesale distributions. "Wholesale distributor" does not include:

(a) intracompany sales, being defined as a transaction or transfer between a division, subsidiary, parent, or affiliated or related company under the common ownership and control of a corporate entity;

(b) the purchase or other acquisition by a hospital or other health care entity that is a member of a group-purchasing organization of a drug for its own use from the group-purchasing organization or from other hospitals or health care entities that are members of such organizations;

(c) the sale, purchase, or trade of a drug or an offer to sell, purchase, or trade a drug by a charitable organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to a nonprofit affiliate of the organization to the extent otherwise permitted by law;

(d) the sale, purchase, or trade of a drug or an offer to sell, purchase, or trade a drug among hospitals or other health care entities that are under common control. For purposes of this section, "common control" means the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a person or an organization, whether by ownership of stock, voting rights, by contract, or otherwise;

(e) the sale, purchase, or trade of a drug or an offer to sell, purchase, or trade a drug for emergency medical reasons. For purposes of this section, "emergency medical reasons" includes the transfer of legend drugs by a licensed pharmacy to another licensed pharmacy or a practitioner licensed to possess prescription drugs to alleviate a temporary shortage, except that the gross dollar value of the transfers may not exceed five percent of the total legend drug sales revenue of either the transferor or the transferee pharmacy during a consecutive twelve-month period;

(f) the sale, purchase, or trade of a drug, an offer to sell, purchase, or trade a drug, or the dispensing of a drug pursuant to a prescription; or

(g) the sale, purchase, or trade of blood and blood components intended for transfusion.

(53) "Revocation" means the cancellation or withdrawal of a license, permit, or other authorization issued by the board either permanently or for a period specified by the board before the person shall be eligible to apply anew. A person whose license, permit, or other authorization has been permanently revoked by the board shall never again be eligible for a license or permit of any kind from the board.

(54) "Certified pharmacy technician" means an individual who is a registered pharmacy technician and who has completed the requirements provided for in Section 40-43-82(B).

SECTION 40-43-40. State Board of Pharmacy; creation; membership; terms; qualifications; vacancies; removal.

(A) There is created the State Board of Pharmacy to be composed of eight members, appointed by the Governor with advice and consent of the Senate, one of whom must be a lay member from the State at large, one of whom must be a pharmacist from the State at large, and six of whom must be pharmacists representing each of the six congressional districts. Provided, however, if no hospital pharmacist is selected to represent any of the six congressional districts, the Governor shall appoint a hospital pharmacist as the pharmacist at large.

(B) The pharmacist at large and the lay member shall serve coterminously with the appointing Governor and until their successors are appointed and qualify. The board shall conduct an election to nominate three pharmacists from each congressional district to be submitted to the Governor for consideration for appointment. The Governor shall appoint one pharmacist to represent each congressional district from among the nominees submitted for that district. The election shall provide for participation by all pharmacists currently licensed and residing in the congressional district for which the nomination is being made. The pharmacists must be residents of the congressional district they represent, licensed, in good standing to practice pharmacy in this State, and actively engaged in the practice of pharmacy in this State. The members of the board representing the six congressional districts shall serve terms of six years and until their successors are appointed and qualify. No member may serve more than two successive terms of office except that a member serving an unexpired term may be reelected and reappointed for two successive terms.

(C) Before December first in the year in which the term expires for a member representing a congressional district, a qualified pharmacist desiring to be a candidate for the board shall submit to the administrator of the board a biography and a petition bearing the signatures of a minimum of fifteen pharmacists practicing in that pharmacist's congressional district. The administrator shall prepare ballots for mailing to all pharmacists licensed and residing in the congressional district for which the nomination is being made. The ballots must be in a form so as to make tabulation quick and easy and shall contain the names of the nominees in alphabetical order. Enclosures to accompany the ballots shall include the envelope in which the ballot is to be sealed and an envelope addressed to the secretary of the board. The addressed envelope shall contain a statement headed "information required" on which must be typed or printed the name of the voter and a space for the voter's signature certifying that the voter:

(1) is the person whose name appears on the statement;

(2) is eligible to vote in this election;

(3) has personally cast the ballot.

(D) All ballots must be mailed by the administrator before January fifteenth to the last known mailing address of all pharmacists residing in the congressional district for which the nomination is being made and must be returned to the administrator postmarked before February fifteenth and received by the office before February twenty-fifth. The administrator of the board shall certify these ballots to be true and valid.

(E) Before March first, the board shall certify in writing to the Governor the name of the three persons winning the election and the name of the person the nominee replaces on the board, and the member, when appointed by the Governor, takes office the first of July of that year.

(F) Notwithstanding subsection (B), if a nominee is judged unfit by the Governor, the board must be informed and other nominees must be submitted in like manner.

(G) Vacancies must be filled in the manner of the original appointment for the unexpired portion of the term.

(H) The Governor may remove a member of the board who is guilty of continued neglect of board duties or who is found to be incompetent, unprofessional, or dishonorable. No member may be removed without first giving the member an opportunity to refute the charges filed against that member.

SECTION 40-43-50. Board meetings; quorum; chair and vicechair.

(A) The board is styled the "Board of Pharmacy" and shall meet in the City of Columbia or any other place in the State designated by the board at least three times a year. The board may meet additionally for administrative purposes at the call of the chairman or of two-thirds of its members.

(B) A simple majority of the appointed members of the board constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business. The board shall elect a chairman and a vice chairman.

SECTION 40-43-60. Chief drug inspector; staff inspectors; duties; violation corrections or prosecution; duties of board; adulterated or misbranded drugs; destruction at owner's expense; seal of drugs and devices under control of licensee when license suspended or revoked; complimentary drug samples; optometric supplies.

(A) There must be an administrator of the Board of Pharmacy who must be a pharmacist licensed in the State of South Carolina and who must be the chief drug inspector. When a vacancy occurs, the position of administrator of the Board of Pharmacy shall be filled in accordance with Section 40-1-50.

(B) The Board of Pharmacy shall have its own staff of inspectors who must be pharmacists licensed in South Carolina and shall conduct all pharmacy inspections and investigations and shall report to and be supervised by the administrator of the Board of Pharmacy.

(C) The chief drug inspector, or his designee, shall visit biennially all permitted facilities in this State and inspect them to see that the laws relating to the licensing of pharmacists are obeyed and to see that all of the provisions of this chapter are obeyed and carried out by the permitted facilities and pharmacists of this State. If a violation of this chapter is discovered, the inspector either shall require the pharmacist or permit holder of the permitted facility in default immediately to correct the violation or shall prosecute the offender under the law, using his discretion after consulting with the board if considered necessary. The inspector or his designee may swear out warrants for offenders who violate the provisions of this chapter.

(D) The board shall:

(1) regulate the practice of pharmacy;

(2) regulate the sale and dispensing of drugs, poisons, and devices;

(3) regulate the supervision and training of pharmacy interns and technicians in pharmacies;

(4) investigate alleged violations of this chapter or any other law in the State pertaining to, or in connection with, persons licensed by the board or otherwise authorized by state laws to manufacture, sell, distribute, dispense, or possess drugs, medicines, poisons, or devices, or as related to misbranded or counterfeit drugs, or any regulations promulgated by the board under this chapter; conduct hearings when, in its discretion, it appears to be necessary; and bring violations to the notice of the prosecuting attorney of the court of competent jurisdiction in which a violation takes place or to the notice of the Attorney General;

(5) establish the minimum specifications for the physical facilities, technical equipment, environment, supplies, personnel, and procedures for the storage, compounding or dispensing, or both, of drugs or devices, and for the monitoring of drug therapy;

(6) confine at any time to prescription order only the dispensing of a drug found to be potentially dangerous to public safety if dispensed without prescription;

(7) seize any drugs and devices found by the board to constitute an imminent danger to the public health and welfare;

(8) promulgate regulations which the board, in its judgment, considers necessary for the carrying out of the purposes of this chapter;

(9) license in accordance with this chapter pharmacists who shall practice in this State and permit all facilities which possess or dispense drugs in this State, except as provided in subsections (H) and (I) of this section, and as otherwise provided for in this chapter and except as to those entities and persons authorized to obtain and possess drugs pursuant to Section 47-3-420(A)(1)(i) and to suspend, revoke, or cancel a license or permit in accordance with law;

(10) adopt rules of professional conduct for pharmacists which must be appropriate to the establishment and maintenance of a high standard of integrity and dignity in the profession; and

(11) to have such powers and authority as may be necessary and proper to accomplish the foregoing or as may be prescribed by law.

(E) The board may:

(1) join professional organizations and associations organized exclusively to promote the improvement of the standards of the practice of pharmacy for the protection of the health and welfare of the public or whose activities assist and facilitate the work of the board, or both;

(2) establish a bill of rights for patients concerning the health care services a patient may expect in regard to pharmacy care.

(F) Notwithstanding anything in this chapter to the contrary, whenever a duly authorized representative of the board finds, or has probable cause to believe, that a drug or device is adulterated or misbranded within the meaning of the Federal Food and Drug Act, the duly authorized representative of the board shall affix to the drug or device a tag or other appropriate marking giving notice that the drug or device is or is suspected of being adulterated or misbranded, has been detained or embargoed, and warning all persons not to remove or dispose of the drug or device by sale or otherwise until provision for removal or disposal is given by the board, its agent, or the court. No person shall remove or dispose of the embargoed drug or device by sale or otherwise without permission of the board or its agent or, after summary proceedings have been instituted, without permission from the court.

(1) When a drug or device detained or embargoed under this subsection has been declared by a representative to be adulterated or misbranded, the board shall, as soon as is practical, petition the court in which jurisdiction the article is detained or embargoed for an order for condemnation of the article. If the court determines that the drug or device so detained or embargoed is not adulterated or misbranded, the board shall direct the immediate removal of the tag or other marking.

(2) If the court finds the detained or embargoed drug or device is adulterated or misbranded, the drug or device, after entry of the decree, must be destroyed at the expense of the owner under the supervision of a board representative and all costs and fees, storage, and other proper expense shall be borne by the owner of the drug or device. When the adulteration or misbranding can be corrected by proper labeling or processing of the drug or device, the court, after entry of the decree and after costs, fees, and expenses have been paid and a good and sufficient bond has been posted, may direct that drug or device be delivered to the owner for labeling or processing under the supervision of a board representative. Expense of the supervision shall be paid by the owner. The bond shall be returned to the owner of the drug or device on representation to the court by the board that the drug or device is no longer in violation of the embargo and the expense of supervision has been paid.

(3) It is the duty of the Attorney General to whom the board reports any violation of this subsection to cause appropriate proceedings to be instituted in the proper court without delay and to be prosecuted in the manner required by law. Nothing in this subitem shall be construed to require the board to report violations whenever the board believes the public's interest will be adequately served in the circumstances by a suitable written notice or warning.

(G) The board may place under seal all drugs or devices that are owned by or in the possession, custody, or control of a licensee at the time the license is suspended or revoked or at the time the board refuses to renew the license. Except as otherwise provided in this section, drugs or devices so sealed shall not be disposed of until appeal rights under the Administrative Procedures Act have expired, or an appeal filed pursuant to that act has been determined. The court involved in an appeal filed pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act may order the board, during the tendency of the appeal, to sell drugs that are perishable. The proceeds of the sale must be deposited with that court.

(H) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to require a permit of or to prevent a licensed practitioner as defined under Section 40-43-30(45) from possessing or administering drugs or devices, or compounding drugs used for administration in the regular course of professional practice.

(I) This chapter does not require a permit of or prevent a licensed practitioner, as defined under Section 40-43-30(45), from dispensing drugs or devices that are the lawful property of the practitioner or a partnership or corporate entity which is fully owned by licensed practitioners or from dispensing a free complimentary trial supply of drugs owned by a person or institution authorized to possess medication under state or federal law for indigent patients with guidelines equal to or equivalent to Section 340B of the Public Health Service Act. Drugs or medicine dispensed must comply with the labeling requirements of state and federal laws and regulations.

(J) The possession of complimentary drug samples intended for distribution, and stock bottles and legend devices intended for remuneration or demonstration by manufacturer's representatives as allowed by the federal Food and Drug Administration and the actual distribution of them to pharmacists licensed to dispense and to practitioners in this State who are legally authorized to prescribe does not require a permit within the meaning of this chapter.

(K) A physician may dispense noncontrolled prescription drugs at an entity that provides free medical services for indigent patients if no pharmacist is available. All such drugs must be labeled as required by this chapter.

(L) Nothing in this chapter prohibits an optometrist from purchasing, possessing, administering, selling, prescribing, or dispensing either directly or through a licensed manufacturer contact lenses, contact lens solutions, and topically applied dyes or applies to the practice of opticianry.

(M) Nothing in this chapter may be construed to prevent, restrict, or in any manner interfere with the sale by a retail merchant of nonnarcotic nonprescription drugs which may be lawfully sold without a prescription under the United States Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 301 et seq. as now or hereafter amended) or the laws of this State.

SECTION 40-43-80. Qualifications of applicants for pharmacy license examination.

To obtain a license to engage in the practice of pharmacy, an applicant for licensure by examination shall:

(1) have submitted a written application in the form prescribed by the Board of Pharmacy;

(2) have received a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy or Doctor of Pharmacy degree from an accredited college or school of pharmacy or department of pharmacy of a university which is recognized by the board, the recognition to be established by the board on the basis of uniform and reasonable standards of educational requirements to be observed by a school or college of pharmacy or department of pharmacy of a university or have received the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Certification. The accrediting agency may include, but is not limited to, the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education. The school or college of pharmacy or department of pharmacy of universities referred to in this item must be examined and inspected by the Board of Pharmacy of South Carolina or its accrediting agency and approved by the board periodically to see that the school or college of pharmacy of the universities comply with the standards of the board and its accrediting agency as to the purpose of the college, the faculty, teaching load, size of classes, curriculum, and degrees, admission requirements, attendance, promotion and graduation, student load, instruction, library, administration, finance, physical plant, extra curricular activities, miscellaneous factors, and annual progress report.

(3) have completed an internship or other program that has been approved by the Board of Pharmacy or demonstrated to the board's satisfaction experience in the practice of pharmacy which meets or exceeds the minimum internship requirements of the board;

(4) have successfully passed the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) and the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE);

(5) have paid all the appropriate fees.

SECTION 40-43-81. Transfer of pharmacist licenses from other jurisdictions; reciprocity required.

(A) In order for a pharmacist currently licensed in another jurisdiction to obtain a license as a pharmacist by license transfer in this State, an applicant shall:

(1) have submitted a written application in the form prescribed by the Board of Pharmacy;

(2) have possessed at the time of initial licensure as a pharmacist all qualifications necessary to have been eligible for licensure at that time in this State;

(3) have presented to the board proof of initial licensure by examination and proof that such license is in good standing;

(4) have presented to the board proof that any other license granted to the applicant by any other state has not been suspended, revoked, or otherwise restricted for any reason except nonrenewal or for the failure to obtain the required continuing education credits in any state where the applicant is currently licensed but not engaged in the practice of pharmacy;

(5) have paid the fees specified by the board;

(6) have passed the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination; and

(7) be interviewed by members of the board.

(B) No applicant is eligible for license transfer unless the state in which the applicant was initially licensed as a pharmacist also grants licensure transfer to pharmacists duly licensed by examination in this State, under like circumstances and conditions.

SECTION 40-43-82. Pharmacy technicians; registration; approval of training programs; minimum requirements; pharmacists previously disciplined not eligible to be technicians; volunteers at free medical clinics.

(A)(1) The Board of Pharmacy shall register pharmacy technicians who are performing pharmacy functions under the supervision of a pharmacist.

(2) A registration is valid from July one through June thirtieth and is renewable on dates as prescribed by the department with the consent of the board. An application for renewal must be on a board approved form provided by the department and must be submitted and accompanied by an annual fee in an amount established in accordance with Section 40-1-50. A pharmacy technician who has failed to properly renew a registration before July first shall immediately cease practice and refrain from performing any duties as a pharmacy technician. Reinstatement of a registration must be granted upon the board receiving a renewal application and renewal and penalty fees.

(3) A pharmacy technician shall display his or her current registration in a conspicuous place in the primary pharmacy or drug outlet in which the technician is employed, so that the current registration is easily and readily observable by the public. A technician working in a pharmacy or drug outlet where the technician's registration is not posted must have his or her wallet registration card with him or her.

(B)(1) An individual may be certified by the board as a pharmacy technician if the individual has:

(a) worked for fifteen hundred hours under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist as a registered pharmacy technician or has completed a Board of Pharmacy approved pharmacy technician course as provided for in subsection (D); however, beginning July 1, 2004, to be certified as a pharmacy technician an individual must have worked for one thousand hours under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist as a technician and must have completed a Board of Pharmacy approved technician course as provided for in subsection (D);

(b) a high school diploma or equivalent; and

(c) passed the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Board exam or a Board of Pharmacy approved exam and has maintained current certification; and

(d) fulfilled continuing education requirements as provided for in Section 40-43-130(G).

(2) The pharmacist-in-charge shall verify compliance with the requirements of item (a) of subsection (B)(1) and maintained a record of this requirement in a readily retrievable manner for inspection.

(C) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, a supervising pharmacist may authorize a certified pharmacy technician to:

(1) receive and initiate verbal telephone orders;

(2) conduct one time prescription transfers;

(3) check a technician's refill of medications if the medication is to be administered by a licensed health care professional in an institutional setting;

(4) check a technician's repackaging of medications from bulk to unit dose in an institutional setting.

(D) A formal academic pharmacy technician training program that leads to a certificate, diploma, or higher degree may be approved by the board if it includes at a minimum:

(1) introduction to pharmacy and health care systems;

(2) pharmacy law and ethics;

(3) pharmacy calculations;

(4) pharmacology;

(a) anatomy and physiology;

(b) therapeutic agents;

(d) nonprescription drugs;

(5) pharmacy operations;

(a) drug distribution systems;

(b) records management and inventory control;

(6) compounding;

(a) aseptic technique;

(b) nonsterile compounding;

(7) general education;

(a) medical terminology;

(b) interpersonal relations;

(d) computers/keyboarding;

(8) problem solving/critical thinking;

(9) experiential training (practical experience).

(E) A pharmacist whose license has been denied, revoked, suspended, or restricted for disciplinary purposes is not eligible to be registered as a pharmacy technician.

(F) Notwithstanding the requirements of this section or any other provision of law or regulation, an individual who works as an unpaid volunteer under the personal supervision of a licensed pharmacist or who handles legend drugs in a pharmacy department of a free medical clinic staffed by a licensed pharmacist may be registered as a pharmacy technician and may perform pharmacy functions as a pharmacy technician without payment of a registration fee or filing with the board; provided, that a register is maintained in the pharmacy department of the free medical clinic bearing the name of every such volunteer performing pharmacy functions as a pharmacy technician and documenting each volunteer's period of service. This special registration is valid only in the free medical clinic. The register must be kept for a period of three years. For the purposes of this section, "free medical clinic" means a permitted facility that provides medical services, including the dispensing of legend drugs and other medications, free of any charge to members of the public.

SECTION 40-43-83. In-state facilities dealing with prescription drugs; out-of-state facilities in mail order pharmacy service; permits; registered agents; required pharmacist-in-charge; display of permit; penalty; refusal of permit if not in public interest.

(A) All facilities located within this State engaging in the manufacture, production, sale, distribution, possession, or dispensing of prescription drugs or devices and all facilities located outside of this State whose primary business is mail order pharmacy service engaging in the sale, distribution, or dispensing of prescription drugs or devices in this State must be permitted by the Board of Pharmacy, and annually shall renew the permit by June first. Where operations are conducted at more than one location, each location must be permitted by the Board of Pharmacy.

This subsection does not apply to a college or university athletic department that dispenses prescription drugs or devices.

(B) Each permittee located outside of this State who ships, mails, distributes, or delivers prescription drugs or devices in this State and every pharmacy located outside of this State who ships, mails, distributes, or delivers prescription drugs or devices in this State shall designate a registered agent in this State for service of process. Any such permittee or pharmacy who does not so designate a registered agent is deemed to have designated the Secretary of State of this State to be its true and lawful attorney, upon whom may be served all legal process in any action or proceeding against such permittee growing out of or arising from such delivery. A copy of any such service of process shall be mailed to such permittee or pharmacy by the board by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, at the address such permittee has designated on its application for licensure in this State. If any such person is not permitted in this State, service on the Secretary of State only is sufficient service.

(C) The board shall determine and promulgate the permit classifications of all permits by regulation under this chapter and establish minimum standards for such permits.

(D) Each pharmacy shall have a pharmacist-in-charge; however, a college or university athletic department pharmacy is not required to have a pharmacist-in-charge. Whenever an applicable rule requires or prohibits action by a pharmacy, responsibility is that of the permit holder and the pharmacist-in-charge of the pharmacy, whether the ownership is a sole proprietor, partnership, association, corporation, or otherwise.

(E) The board may enter into agreements with other states or with third parties for the purpose of exchanging information concerning the permitting and inspection of entities located in this jurisdiction and those located outside this State.

(F) Permits issued under this section must be displayed in a conspicuous place in the permitted facility for which it was issued in such a manner that will enable an interested person to determine the name of the permittee, permit number, and permit expiration date. The permits are not transferable.

(G) This section must not be construed as precluding any person from owning or being a permit holder if all of the dispensing, compounding, and retailing of prescription drugs in it are under the supervision and direction of a licensed pharmacist.

(H) The Board of Pharmacy may deny or refuse to renew a permit if it determines that the granting or renewing of such permit would not be in the public interest. If an application is refused, the board shall notify the applicant in writing of its decision and the reasons for its decision.

(I) A permit is required for the sale, distribution, possession, or dispensing of drugs bearing the legend "Caution: Federal law prohibits dispensing without a prescription" including, but not limited to, pharmacies (institutional or community, public or private), nursing homes, hospitals, convalescent homes, extended care facilities, family planning clinics, public or private health clinics, infirmaries, wholesalers, correctional institutions, industrial health clinics, mail order vendors, and manufacturers within or outside this State.

(J) The board shall assess a civil penalty in the amount of fifty dollars for failure to display a permit as required by this section.

(K) The Department of Health and Environmental Control is exempt from the provisions of this section that require facilities distributing or dispensing prescription drugs to be permitted by the Board of Pharmacy and from the provisions of this section that require each pharmacy to have a pharmacist-in-charge; however, each health district in this State must have a permit to distribute or dispense prescription drugs.

SECTION 40-43-84. Internship and externship certificates; program requirements; intern and extern restrictions; requirements for supervisory site and pharmacist.

(A) All applicants for licensure by examination shall obtain one thousand five hundred hours of practical experience in the practice of pharmacy. The board shall establish certificate requirements for interns/externs and standards for internship, or any other experiential program necessary to qualify an applicant for licensure. The board shall issue an intern certificate to a qualified applicant. No intern/extern may receive credit for practical experience unless he has been issued a certificate by the board. Such certificate must be granted only to individuals who have been accepted by or graduated from an approved college of pharmacy, but no sooner than three months before beginning pharmacy school. No credit shall be given for internships worked more than three months before beginning pharmacy school or if the student does not matriculate. A foreign pharmacy graduate may secure a certificate of registration as a pharmacy intern upon presenting to the board proof of graduation from a pharmacy school located in a foreign country and a statement of his intent to complete the requirements of the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEE).

(B) An intern/extern may not represent himself as a pharmacist. The board shall issue to an intern/extern a certificate for purposes of identification and verification of his role as an intern/extern. The internship certificate must be displayed in the pharmacy or site in which the experience is being gained. No individual who has not been issued a certificate by the board as an intern/extern shall take, use, or exhibit the title of intern/extern, or any other term of similar like or import.

(C) An intern/extern may engage in the practice of pharmacy if such activities are under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist. A pharmacist must be in continuous personal eye and voice contact with, and actually giving instructions to, the intern/extern during all professional activities throughout the entire period of the internship/externship. The pharmacist shall physically review the prescription drug order and the dispensed product before the product is delivered to the patient or the patient's agent. The pharmacist is responsible for the work of the intern/extern. A pharmacist may not supervise more than one intern at any one time.

Pharmacy interns/externs shall not be left in sole charge of a prescription department or other approved site at any time. Violation of this may result in cancellation of any and all internship/externship hours toward licensure that may have been accrued by the intern/extern, and may, in the discretion of the board, cause the board after sufficient notice to the pharmacy intern/extern, to revoke or suspend the internship certificate as provided above. The supervising pharmacist or designated pharmacist may also be subject to disciplinary action by the board.

An applicant for licensure, who is guilty of compounding or dispensing a prescription of a practitioner or selling legend drugs or medicines while not under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist may be refused licensure.

(D) All interns shall notify the board of any change of employment or residence address within ten days.

(E) Credit for claims of practical experience required under the pharmacy laws will not be recognized by the board unless such claims are corroborated by records on file in the board office, showing the beginning and ending of the practical experience claimed as supplied by the applicant during the training period and by the pharmacist who supervised the practical experience during the training period.

(F) The pharmacy, site, or program in which practical experience is being obtained shall have a current, valid pharmacy permit, as required by this chapter, and the designated pharmacist shall hold a current, valid license to practice pharmacy.

SECTION 40-43-85. Notification form regarding internship; practical experience; experience gained outside state; credit for externship programs; requirements for site and supervising pharmacists.

(A) An intern shall notify the Board of Pharmacy within ten days after the beginning and again within ten days after the ending of each and every calendar year, if the intern is employed, and within ten days after the beginning of each new employment and within ten days after the ending of each employment, on forms provided by the board, of the identity of the internship site and of the designated pharmacist. This form must be certified by the designated pharmacist. The pharmacy intern is responsible for the submission of the appropriate forms within the time limits as set.

(B) An intern may gain practical experience toward licensure as a pharmacist in accordance with this section and as may otherwise be required by this chapter.

(C) Where practical experience is gained in a pharmacy, other site, or program located outside of the State, the board has the discretion to determine whether such experience meets the requirements of the board. The applicant shall submit from the secretary of the Board of Pharmacy of the state in which practical experience was gained certification of the validity of the supervising pharmacist's license and the pharmacy permit.

(D) A minimum of five hundred hours of practical experience must be obtained in a retail or institutional pharmacy. Approval of all experience gained is left to the discretion of the board after receiving a description of the experience by the intern and the designated pharmacist.

(E) Students enrolled in an approved program leading to a bachelor of science degree in pharmacy may receive practical experience credit for up to five hundred hours for participation in an externship program upon completion of the program. Hours earned must be certified by the college of pharmacy, none of which may be used to fulfill the requirement in subsection (D).

(F) Students enrolled in an approved doctor of pharmacy program consisting of six or more years of collegiate studies may receive practical experience credit for up to one thousand hours for practice related experiences upon completion of such program, the number of hours certified by the college of pharmacy, none of which shall be used to fulfill the requirements in subsection (D).

(G) A pharmacy, site, or program offering interns/externs practical experience toward licensure as a pharmacist shall conform to the best traditions of pharmacy, shall have available all necessary reference books, in addition to the official standards and current professional journals and periodicals, and must be operated at all times under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist as required by law. The designated pharmacist must signify willingness to train interns/externs desiring to obtain practical experience in accordance with this chapter. The pharmacy at which an intern/extern is being trained shall provide an environment that is conducive to the learning of the practice of pharmacy by an intern/extern. It is expected that the intern/extern will be exposed to all facets of the practice of pharmacy in that setting including, but not limited to:

(1) evaluation of prescription drug orders;

(2) preparation and labeling of drugs;

(3) dispensing of drugs;

(4) patient profile update and review;

(5) drug use review;

(6) patient counseling; and

(7) proper and safe storage of drugs.

(H) No more than forty hours per week of internship training may be allowed.

SECTION 40-43-86. Facility requirements for pharmacies; maintenance of area, equipment, and records; reference materials required; presence of pharmacist-in-charge; duties and responsibilities; access to night cabinets; emergencies; consultant pharmacists; prescription drug orders; transferring of prescriptions; substitution of drugs; label requirements; patient records and counseling; policies and requirements for automated systems; unlawful practices; sales to optometrists and home medical equipment providers; code of ethics; sale of poisons and returned medications; permit fees; compounding regulations and restrictions; unprofessional conduct.

(A) A pharmacy, at a minimum, shall:

(1) be of sufficient size to allow for the safe and proper storage of prescription drugs and for the safe and proper compounding and preparation of prescription drug orders;

(2) maintain an area designated for the provision of patient counseling services. This area must be designed to provide a reasonable expectation of privacy;

(3) maintain on file current drug reference materials. The references should enable the user to find information using the brand name, generic name, pharmacologic group, therapeutic group, and synonym;

(4) update drug monographs at least quarterly, which include the following prescribing information: actions, indications, contradictions, warning and precautions, drug interactions, adverse reactions, patient information, overdosage, administration, and dosage;

(5) update this product information at least quarterly:

(a) products grouped by dosage or strength;

(b) identical brand name products;

(d) package sizes for all dosage forms;

(e) product identification;

(f) whether prescription or nonprescription;

(g) controlled substance schedule;

(h) combination products comparison;

(i) products with identical formulations.

(6) update new development information at least quarterly:

(a) significant recent drug therapy developments;

(b) information on investigational agents;

(7) maintain a copy of Equivalent Drug Product Evaluations or equivalent reference;

(8) have a current copy of the South Carolina Pharmacy Practice Act, South Carolina Controlled Substances Act and Regulations, South Carolina Drug Act, and South Carolina Board of Pharmacy Newsletter;

(9) maintain patient-oriented reference material for guidance in proper drug usage;

(10) maintain storage areas at temperatures which shall ensure the integrity of the drugs prior to their dispensing as stipulated by the USP/NF and/or the manufacturer's or distributor's labeling;

(11) have access to a sink with hot and cold running water that is in the compounding area;

(12) have a pharmacist who, while on duty, is responsible for the security of the pharmacy department including provision of effective control against theft or diversion of drugs or devices, or both;

(13) have secured its pharmacy by either a physical barrier with suitable locks or an electronic barrier, or both, to detect entry at a time the pharmacist, or a person authorized by the pharmacist on duty or the pharmacist-in-charge, is not present. The barrier must be approved by the Board of Pharmacy before being put into use;

(14) display, when the pharmacy department is closed or in the absence of the licensed pharmacist, a sign stating "Pharmacy Department Closed, Pharmacist Not On Duty" displayed during the absence of the licensed pharmacist;

(15) carry, utilize, and maintain according to manufacturer's specifications the equipment and supplies necessary to conduct a pharmacy in a manner that is in the best interest of the patients served and to comply with all state and federal laws;

(16) maintain the area and equipment in which prescriptions are compounded and dispensed in a clean and orderly condition and:

(a) the prescription department must be kept dry and well ventilated, free from obnoxious odors, and equipped with adequate lighting facilities;

(b) drugs, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals must be arranged in a neat, orderly manner, free from dust, insects, rodents, or any type of contamination;

(c) all outdated, damaged, defaced, or unlabeled drugs, pharmaceuticals, biologicals, and chemicals must be removed from active stock;

(d) pharmaceuticals and biologicals requiring refrigeration must be kept stored in a refrigerator at the specified temperature;

(e) all stocks and materials used in the compounding of prescriptions must be labeled and conform in purity and strength as required by law;

(f) the prescription counter area upon which prescriptions are compounded must be used for no other purpose than for compounding prescriptions;

(g) the prescription department shall maintain only such instruments, equipment, materials, drugs, pharmaceuticals, biologicals, chemicals, and medicines as are necessary in the compounding and dispensing of prescriptions and pharmaceutical preparations;

(h) all instruments, articles, and containers used in the compounding and dispensing of prescriptions and pharmaceutical preparations must be clean and free from all foreign substances;

(i) the sink, with hot water connection, of the prescription department must be used for no other purpose than for cleaning of instruments and materials used in the compounding and dispensing of prescriptions and medicines, or the cleansing of the hands of those preparing and compounding;

(j) all pharmacists, before compounding prescriptions, and supportive personnel assisting pharmacists, shall thoroughly cleanse their fingernails and wash their hands;

(k) the storing of drugs, medicines, pharmaceuticals, or consumable materials used in compounding and dispensing prescriptions and pharmaceutical preparations in the washroom or toilet of a pharmacy is prohibited.

(B)(1) No person may operate a pharmacy without a pharmacist-in-charge. The pharmacist-in-charge of a pharmacy must be designated in and sign the application for the pharmacy permit, and in each renewal thereof. A pharmacist may not serve as pharmacist-in-charge unless he is physically present in the pharmacy a sufficient amount of time to provide supervision and control. A pharmacist may not serve as pharmacist-in-charge for more than one pharmacy at any one time without written permission from the board.

Subsection (B)(1) does not apply to a college or university athletic department pharmacy.

(2) Each institutional pharmacy shall be directed by a pharmacist, hereinafter referred to as the pharmacist-in-charge who is licensed to engage in the practice of pharmacy in this State.

(3) The pharmacist-in-charge shall have the following respons