New Jurisprudence Exam Starts April 1, 2026
At the January board meeting, Andrew Funk, Director of Member Relations and Government Affairs for the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) presented on the Uniform Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (UMPJE). The UMPJE is designed to assess knowledge of laws and regulations that are “universal” to all states. The goal is to create one pharmacy jurisprudence exam for pharmacists to demonstrate their competency that would be recognized by all states who adopt the UMPJE. The Iowa Board of Pharmacy members voted to adopt the UMPJE as the jurisprudence exam that will be offered to all Iowa pharmacist applicants effective April 1, 2026.
The exam will be computer-based, have 120 questions (100 scored and 20 pre-test), and be three-option multiple choice. Beginning in January, NABP began offering a pre-exam to allow participants to get acclimated to the format.
The Iowa Board of Pharmacy is excited to offer this option as a way to encourage graduates and pharmacists to seek licensure in Iowa by reducing the number of exams that have to be taken, reduce cost for exam takers, and reduce time to licensure. This is also a pathway to establishing more efficient and robust license portability for pharmacists across the nation. As a way to ensure knowledge of Iowa-specific rules and laws, a webinar will be required in addition to passing the UMPJE for graduates and pharmacists seeking licensure in Iowa.
Early Exam Option
The board also voted to approve the option for pharmacy students who have completed the didactic portion of the Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum one attempt to take the UMPJE prior to degree conferral. NABP staff will verify students have taken and passed law courses and grant eligibility through the student’s NABP e-profile account to test. This will allow students the option to study for and take the UMPJE during their final year of school, leaving them the opportunity to focus on studying for and passing the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) after graduation.
Prescription Management Program (PMP) Updates
 New Rx Management Access Policy
To ensure appropriate safeguards of dispensation data, the Rx Management tool has been reset to pharmacist access only. Pharmacists who would like to use the Rx Management tool must have the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) registration number associated with their practice site added to their PMP user profile. If they are a supervisor of a licensed delegate and would like to request that the delegate have access to the Rx Management tool, they should send the request in writing to pmp@iowa.gov. Those requests will be reviewed and granted as appropriate. Visit the PMP AWARxE Support Center for more information regarding the RX Management tool.
PMP Data Submission Errors
Historically, records submitted without the prescriber's DEA number have been processed successfully if the provider’s National Provider Identifier (NPI) number was present. Starting in February, any submissions that are missing a prescriber’s DEA number will be flagged as an error and fail to report to the PMP. All dispensation data submitted to the PMP is screened for errors and missing information. If a prescription is missing critical data, it is flagged with an error code and will not be reported to the PMP until the error is corrected. Please take appropriate action now to ensure your pharmacy is checking its record submissions for errors daily. Failure to address errors identified in record submissions is a violation of reporting requirements and will cause patient profiles to be incomplete. Errors can be addressed within the PMP clearinghouse or via the Rx Management tool within the AWARxE database. More information on record submissions and error corrections can be found on the PMP AWARxE Support Center website and the PMP Clearinghouse Support Center website.
Reminder to Keep License Profile Updated!
The board would like to remind individual licensees and registrants to make sure that their license/registration profile is updated with their most current information (name, address, email address, employment, etc.). Licensees should visit the login page to make sure their information is up to date. Board rules require licensees to provide notice of such updates within 30 days (see 481 IAC 504.2(23) and 481 IAC 551.3(3)). Notice of changes on an individual license or registration can be made directly by a licensee on their license profile (link above), which will satisfy the notification requirement.
Notification of Change of Pharmacist in Charge
When a pharmacy needs to provide notification of a change of pharmacist in charge (PIC), please provide notice via the board’s Contact Us form. A nonresident pharmacy must provide this notification within 10 days of the change (per Iowa Code 155A.13A) while an Iowa-based pharmacy must provide the notification within 30 days of the change (per 481 IAC 551.10(3)). On the contact form, when selecting “Reason for Contact," please mark “Pharmacy” to ensure the notice is properly routed to the pharmacy licensing specialist.
FDA Warns of Counterfeit Ozempic in US Drug Supply Chain
The FDA has updated an ongoing alert relating to counterfeit Ozempic that is making its way into the legitimate U.S. drug supply chain. The alert provides the description of the change to look for on the pen labeling as well as photo comparisons with legitimate products. Pharmacies are reminded to purchase prescription drugs only from authorized trading partners to ensure only legitimate products are dispensed to patients.
Retatrutide in Iowa
Recent investigations have discovered compounded retatrutide preparations. Retatrutide is currently in Phase III clinical trials and is not yet a component of an FDA-approved prescription medication. Supplies of the active pharmaceutical ingredient are labeled “For Research Use Only” and are not eligible for use outside of an approved clinical trial. Prescribers and pharmacies alike should know that it is not permissible to provide retatrutide to patients outside of an approved clinical trial.
Reminder of Actions to Take After Identification of Fraudulent Controlled Substance Prescription
If a pharmacy determines through its due diligence that a controlled substance prescription is fraudulent, the pharmacy should contact local law enforcement as well as forward a copy of the fraudulent prescription to PMP@iowa.gov. PMP staff will provide the prescription to the local DEA office for investigation.
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