A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT AMENDING THE PHARMACY PRACTICE ACT TO authorizE pharmacists to dispense early refills of topical ophthalmic products (eye drops).
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 90‑85.32(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a)	Except as otherwise provided in this section, the Board may adopt rules governing the filling, refilling and transfer of prescription orders not inconsistent with other provisions of law regarding the distribution of drugs and devices. The rules shall do all of the following:
(1)	Assure the safe and secure distribution of drugs and devices.
(2)	Prohibit prescriptions marked PRN from being refilled more than one year after the date issued by the prescriber unless otherwise specified.
(3)	In order to prevent unintended interruptions in drug therapy and if there are authorized refills remaining, permit both of the following with respect to dispensing topical ophthalmic products:
a.	Filling or refilling a prescription at seventy percent (70%) of the predicted number of days of use without obtaining subsequent authorization or a new authorization from the prescriber.
b.	For patients who have difficulty using the topical ophthalmic product and with authorization from the prescriber, filling or refilling a prescription earlier than seventy percent (70%) of the predicted number of days of use."
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective October 1, 2015.