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The Colorado State Board of Pharmacy will hold a stakeholder meeting on Aug. 4 at 3 p.m. Please register for the meeting here.
The purpose of this Stakeholder Meeting is to receive feedback on proposed revisions to multiple rules as follows:
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Revisions to Rule 2.00.00. The purpose is to align the controlled substance transfer rule with new federal DEA requirements and clarifications.
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Revisions to Rule 3. The purpose is to implement Colorado House Bill 26-1336.
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Revisions to Rules 10.00.00 and 14.00.00. The purpose of the proposed revisions is to implement Colorado House Bill 26-1220.
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Revisions to Rule 11.00.00. The purpose is to align system automation and transfer of controlled substance prescriptions that aligns with new DEA
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requirements and practice standards.
5. Revisions to Rules 3, 15 and 21. The purpose of these amendments is to refine compounding rules to better align with recent guidance from the FDA and to implement Colorado House Bill 26-1198.
6. Repeal of Rule 28.00.00. The purpose of the repeal is to implement Colorado House Bill 26-1182.
7. Revisions to Rule 19.00.00. The purpose is to implement Colorado Senate Bill 26-032.
8. Revisions to Rule 23. The purpose is to refine and define the length of time PDMP data is to be retained and/or archived to align better with other states and reduce risk where necessary.
9. Correction to Appendix G. The purpose is to change the word provider to patient as it was originally intended and adopted by the Board.
Draft rules may be found here. Written comments may be submitted here.
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Recent legislation signed by Gov. Jared Polis affects licensees under the Board of Pharmacy. Here is a summary of bills with which you should familiarize yourself. |
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HB26-1336: Increase Access to Pharmacy Services
This new law updates prescriptive authority guidelines based on patient age groups. For patients aged 12 to 17 years, the pharmacist must notify the patient’s primary care provider as soon as possible if the pharmacist conducts a CLIA-waived test and prescribes non-controlled substances or, if the patient does not have or disclose a primary care provider, the patient’s pharmacist shall refer the patient to a primary care provider for further care.
For patients aged 5-11 years, pharmacists can now prescribe non-controlled substances or devices if the conditions do not require a new diagnosis; are minor and self limiting; or utilize specific CLIA-waived diagnostic tests for influenza, SARS-CoV-2, group A streptococcus, or respiratory syncytial virus and are required to notify the patient’s primary care provider as soon as practicable, or, if the patient does not have or disclose a primary care provider, the patient’s pharmacist shall refer the patient to a primary care provider for further care.
Additionally, this bill allows for supervising pharmacists to delegate tasks involving the physical preparation and processing of non-controlled drug orders to pharmacy interns or technicians. Using professional judgment, a pharmacist can delegate prescription accuracy checks, including: tech-check- tech rules and utilizing barcode verification technology prior to administration. Pharmacies adopting this program must implement a continuous quality assessment system to track errors and create a plan detailing how saved pharmacist hours will be redirected toward direct patient care. Furthermore, the Board of Pharmacy must adopt rules concerning final product verification by a pharmacy technician or intern by Dec. 31, 2026.
Lastly, the bill states that insurance carriers are prohibited from discriminating against pharmacists regarding network participation, referrals, or reimbursement solely based on their type of licensure. Health benefit plans that provide hospital, surgical, or medical insurance must cover services provided by a pharmacist if the services fall within the pharmacist’s legal scope of practice.
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HB26-1262: Patient Access to Compounded Medical Items
This new law allows the following actions to be taken by licensed individuals in accordance with applicable federal and state law:
- A licensed person may compound a drug or device;
- A state-licensed pharmacy or distribution facility registered with the federal food and drug administration (licensed 503B outsourcing facility) may supply a compounded drug or device to a licensed health-care provider, pharmacy, facility, or organization, and;
- A licensed health-care provider, pharmacy, facility, or organization may obtain, dispense, or administer a compounded drug or device supplied by a state-licensed pharmacy or licensed 503b outsourcing facility.
The bill also prohibits the state board of pharmacy from adopting rules that are more restrictive than federal or state law regarding the compounding of drugs or devices by licensed 503B outsourcing facilities. Finally, the bill exempts drugs that are reviewed by an institutional review board and plainly labeled for investigational use only and compounded drugs and devices from the sales and delivery prohibition for new drugs.
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HB26-1182: Sunset Veterinary Pharmaceutical Advisory Committee
This bill repeals the Veterinary Pharmaceutical Advisory Committee, in alignment with the recommendations of the Department of Regulatory Agencies’ 2025 Sunset Report.
SB26-032: Promoting Immunization Access
For naturopathic doctors, this new law changes references for the ability to administer vaccines from administering them in accordance with the ACIP schedule to administering them as required in accordance with the schedule of immunizations established by the Board of Health within the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The bill also requires the Board of Pharmacy to review existing record-keeping rules to ensure that duplicate, inconsistent, or outdated rules relating to vaccines are repealed or amended.
It also changes the Pharmacy Practice A t to allow independent prescriptive authority for vaccines under the definition of pharmacy.
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 Other Important Bills:
SB26-031: Use of Prescription Product with Controlled Substance
HB26-1220: Update Behavioral Health License Terminology
HB26-1431: Competency for Occupational Licensure Portability
SB26-083: Rule Review Bill
SB26-137: Measures to Reduce Administrative Burdens
HB26-1324: Sunset Division of Professions and Occupations
SB26-138: Reducing Administrative Burdens on Health Care
HB26-1426: Department of Law Legislative Report
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This bill states that an institution of higher education that operates a student health center is required to provide abortion medication to all students enrolled at the institution.
An institution with an on-site prescription drug outlet or other outlet is also required to maintain a stock of and provide access to abortion medication to students enrolled at the institution.
If an institution does not have an onsite prescription drug outlet or other outlet, the institution is required to submit a prescription for abortion medication to an off campus prescription drug outlet or other outlet or dispense abortion medication through the institution’s student health center, if permitted.
The act also prohibits institutions of higher education from providing personally identifiable information related to accessing abortion medication in response to a request from another state seeking to impose liability for accessing abortion medication.
Institutions are not required to provide access to or stock abortion medication if doing so would jeopardize the institution’s federal grant participation or conflict with the institution's sincerely held religious beliefs or practices.
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HB26-1198: Access to Veterinary Care
This new bill makes several changes to the Veterinary Practice Act, including the following:
- Clarifies that a veterinarian who administers, distributes, dispenses, or prescribed a prescription drug is not conducting the practice of pharmacy;
- Requires the Board to review and update existing procedures related to the process of licensure by endorsement, and remove duplicative steps to streamline the process;
- Adds a section pertaining to compounding drugs for veterinarian use, which allows a veterinarian to compound and dispense compounded drugs for any patient which they have a veterinarian-client-patient relationship;
- Updates and removes the restriction of only one accredited association and allows for completion of other accredited programs for veterinary technicians.
- Creates a veterinary drug donation program.
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The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) announced that dispensers are now able to create their Pulse by NABP accounts.
Pulse is a digital platform that facilitates greater interoperability to the drug supply chain to help protect patients from counterfeit or substandard prescription medications. This inclusive, accessible, and secure platform simplifies the process of achieving compliance with the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA).
Regulators began using the platform to help identify suspect products across the pharmacy supply chain in early 2026. Several chain pharmacies have been onboarding into the system as of early July. Distributors will be invited to create accounts in the fall.
After setting up your account and claiming your facility profile, it should be a seamless process for dispensers to communicate with trading partners and respond to regulator requests. More information can be found here.
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