South Carolina Board of Pharmacy

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who can perform transfers of prescriptions for Schedules III, IV, and V controlled substances?

   According to §1306.25 of Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations, transfers must be communicated directly between two licensed pharmacists.

2. Who can take verbal prescriptions for controlled substances?

   According to Section IX-XIV of the DEA Pharmacist’s Manual, a pharmacist may dispense a controlled substance listed in schedules III, IV, or V pursuant to an oral prescription made by an individual practitioner and promptly reduced to writing by the pharmacist. For a schedule II controlled substance, an oral order is only permitted in an emergency situation. Under Emergency Dispensing of the DEA Pharmacist’s Manual, the prescription must be reduced to writing by the pharmacist.

3. What size blood pressure cuffs are required for immunizations?

   The South Carolina Vaccine Protocol requires adult, pediatric, and extra-large blood pressure cuffs to be available in the area in which vaccines are given. Approximate sizes for cuffs are: 12-21 cm for pediatric, 20-34 cm for adult, and 32-43 cm for extra-large.

4. Is it acceptable to post a copy or carry a copy of a wallet card of a license, registration, or permit?

   For licenses, registrations, and permits, the original needs to be posted at the site or the original wallet card needs to be in possession of the licensee. A copy printed from the website is only acceptable in the time between renewal and receipt of a new permit/license or if the permit/license is lost, a copy may be used in the interim between ordering and receiving a new one.

5. When is a new facility permit required?

   According to 40-43-90(E) of the South Carolina Pharmacy Practice Act, the occurrence of any of the following requires a new permit: a change in ownership (any change in ownership of a sole proprietorship, gain or loss of a partner in a partnership, or change of ownership of 50% of more of stock in a corporation), a change in name, or a change in location from one city to another. For facilities that relocate within the same city, a resident relocation form must be submitted to the Board prior to the relocation and an onsite inspection will be required after the relocation.

6. Is Shingrix® covered under the Immunization Protocol?

   Below is some important information regarding the new recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV), Shingrix®:

   • Shingrix® is a recombinant zoster vaccine approved in October 2017 and is indicated for prevention of herpes zoster (shingles) in adults aged 50 years and older
   • Shingrix® is given as two intramuscular injections separated by 2 to 6 months and had a 96.6% efficacy compared to 70% for Zostavax®
   • The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends Shingrix® use in patients who have previously received Zostavax® and prefers the use of Shingrix®over Zostavax®
   • Although Zostavax® is not preferred in the new ACIP recommendations, it is still acceptable for use according to their guidelines and as such can still be administered through the immunization protocol
   • A Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) for Shringrix® was published by the CDC on 2/12/18 and can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/shingles-recombinant.html

7. If a physician retires or is no longer in practice, how long can this practitioners prescriptions be refilled?

   Per Policy #90, if a prescriber retires or dies and there are still refills remaining on a patient’s prescription, for non-controlled substances, authorized refills of maintenance drugs may continue for a period of ninety (90) days. The patient should be advised to locate a new physician within ninety (90) days.

8. What are the requirements in the event of loss or theft of legend drugs or legend devices at a permitted facility?

   According to § 40-43-91 (A) of the South Carolina Pharmacy Practice Act, "All permit holders shall report to the Board of Pharmacy within thirty working days of the discovery of the occurrence of:

   (1) theft or loss of drugs or devices
   (2) conviction of any employee of any state or federal drug laws."
   
   § 40-43-86 (B)(3) states that "The pharmacist-in-charge shall have the following responsibilities:
   (d) making or filing any reports required by state or federal laws and regulations."

   Any time your pharmacy or drug outlet experiences a loss or theft of legend drugs or legend devices, the Board of Pharmacy requires a written notification.

   Section 147 of Regulation 61-4 (South Carolina Controlled Substances Regulations) requires that a loss or theft of controlled substances must be reported to the DHEC Division of Drug Control, on a DEA Form 106, not later than 30 days after the discovery of the loss or theft.

9. How much time must the pharmacist-in-charge actually work in the pharmacy?

   According to §40-43-86(B) of the South Carolina Pharmacy Practice Act, "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." Therefore, the pharmacist-in-charge must be in the pharmacy enough time to allow him/her to fulfill all of the requirements pertaining to the pharmacist-in-charge's duties as defined in §40-43-86 and be responsible for all professional duties connected with the proper and lawful conduct of the pharmacy. §40-43-30(40) defines a pharmacist-in-charge as "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."

10. What are the requirements to close a pharmacy or drug outlet permanently?

    According to § 40-43-91(B) of the South Carolina Pharmacy Practice Act, "All permit holders shall report to the Board of Pharmacy within ten working days of the discovery of the occurrence of any of the following: (1) permanent closing . . . ."
    (C) Upon permanent closing a permittee shall return the permit to the Board within thirty days.

    § 40-43-86 (B)(3) The pharmacist-in-charge shall have the following responsibilities: (c) notifying the Board of Pharmacy immediately of any of the following changes: (iv) permanent closing of the pharmacy.

    All pharmacy signs and symbols must be removed; all drugs must be transferred, returned to vendors or disposed of properly prior to returning your permit. If you intend to close a pharmacy, please allow sufficient time to meet these requirements.

    The South Carolina Controlled Substances Registration Certificate must be returned to the DHEC Division of Drug Control, along with a letter of explanation as to the transfer or disposal of the controlled substance inventory. The DEA Registration Certificate, along with any unused DEA 222 forms, must be returned to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

11. Whose responsibility is it to assure that all pharmacy interns and technicians wear proper identification?

    According to § 40-43-86 (B)(3) of the South Carolina Pharmacy Practice Act, "the pharmacist-in-charge shall have the following responsibilities:

    (b) assuring that all pharmacists, technicians, and interns employed at the pharmacy are currently licensed, certified, or registered and that interns and technicians wear proper identification while on duty;"

    Board inspectors will be monitoring these requirements while conducting site inspections.

12. Who is allowed to call in prescriptions to a pharmacy from a doctor's office?

    Drug order may be directly transmitted orally or electronically from the practitioner or his "designated agent" to the pharmacy. The "designated agent" is 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 responsibility for the correct transmission of the prescription drug order." [Emphasis Added] §40-43-30(11)