Board of Pharmacy Frequently Asked Questions Annual Information Update and Pharmacies Outside of Alaska Application Status Changes of Name/Physical Location/Ownership/Pharmacist-In-Charge/Facility Manager Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) for Pharmacies Convictions and Licensure Corporation Entity Registration and Business Licensing Determining License Disciplinary Action Disclosures for Facility Applicants and Licensed Facilities Download List of Licensees Durable Medical Equipment Vendors Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Inspection Requirement for Manufacturers Independently Administering Vaccines & Related Emergency Medications Pharmacist-In-Charge of Pharmacy Located Outside of Alaska Pharmacists Working for the Indian Health Service (IHS) Public Record Required Examinations Reverse Distributor Suspended, Revoked, or Deceased Prescribers: Filling or Refilling Prescriptions Other Questions Do registered/licensed pharmacies located outside of the state of Alaska need to submit an annual information update? No. Self-inspection forms no longer need to be submitted to the board for renewals of pharmacies or any other facility type. Self-inspections still need to occur, but the form should be maintained at your pharmacy/facility and made available to the board upon request. As of November 27, 2023, the statute (AS 08.80.158) requiring the registration of pharmacies located outside of state was repealed therefore making the requirement to submit an annual information update to the board obsolete. All pharmacies located both in and out of Alaska now fall under AS 08.80.157. LICENSING OF FACILITIES and 12 AAC 52.020. PHARMACY LICENSE. 12 AAC 52.130. REGISTRATION OF PHARMACIES LOCATED OUTSIDE OF THE STATE is also in the process of being repealed to come into alignment with the repeal of AS 08.80.158. All pharmacies licensed in Alaska, regardless of their physical location, should now follow the regulatory guidelines of 12 AAC 52.020. PHARMACY LICENSE. Note that section (g) is also in the process of being repealed. How can I find out about the status of my application? All applications and documents are processed in the order they are received and updates to your application will be available through the My License portal after you receive the web authorization. If your application is incomplete, you will be notified of the status and what is needed for completion as soon as your application is reviewed. Please use your My License portal for status updates rather than send emails to the Alaska Board of Pharmacy. What are the requirements for changes of name, physical location, ownership, pharmacist-in-charge, or facility manager? (This question only applies to pharmacies, wholesale drug distributors, outsourcing facilities, and third-party logistics providers) For pharmacies: An in state or out of state pharmacy that has changed its name, ownership, or physical address shall notify the board in writing not later than 30 days after the change. A notification of a change of physical address must include an attestation that a new self-inspection will be completed not later than 30 days after the start of business. A pharmacist designated to replace the pharmacist-in-charge of a licensed pharmacy, including both in state and out of state pharmacies, shall notify the board in writing not later than 30 days after that designation. Notwithstanding 12 AAC 52.425(a), a pharmacist may not serve as a pharmacist-in-charge unless the pharmacist is physically present in the pharmacy for 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 except upon obtaining written permission from the board. For all other facilities: A facility that has changed its name, physical address, or ownership must notify the board in writing not later than 30 days after the change. A notification of a change of physical address must include an attestation that a new self-inspection will be completed not later than 30 days after the start of business. A designated representative of a wholesale drug distributor, outsourcing facility, third-party logistics provider, or manufacturer designated to replace an outgoing designated representative of a facility shall notify the board not later than 30 days after that designation, by submitting a completed change of designated representative notice in writing. The outgoing designated representative shall also notify the board in writing not later than 30 days after departure. A designated representative may be in charge of more than one location and may be designated as the designated representative for multiple facilities simultaneously. Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) for Pharmacies Per 12 AAC 52.205 (b) The pharmacist-in-charge shall make necessary changes or improvements to ensure patient safety and employee wellness in a pharmacy, as part of a continuous quality improvement (CQI) program for pharmacy services. What does this mean for our pharmacy? Each pharmacy shall establish a CQI program which should be described in the policy and procedure manual of the pharmacy. What is a CQI program? A CQI program, also sometimes known as a Quality Assurance program, is a system of standards and procedures to identify and evaluate quality-related events and improve patient care. Quality-related events could include inappropriate dispensing or administration of prescribed medications. There should be a planned process to record, measure, assess and improve the quality of patient care. What is our pharmacy required to do? To document? There are several types of CQI programs that a pharmacy could utilize. You can find these through many different resources, such as ISMP, ASHP, NABP, and some CE providers. The program should include necessary documentation, internal reporting and an assessment of errors to determine the root cause and contributing factors, such as system or process failures. What will an inspector want to see? A pharmacy inspector for the board may just confirm that a policy is in place. They could also ask to see the internal policy or to see the actual program and documentation in your CQI program. What should I do if I have a conviction, but still want to apply for a license? Carefully read the instructions in this section of the application. It will instruct you to submit a letter of self explanation and a copy of the legal/court/board documents addressing the conviction. When your application is complete, it will be forwarded to Investigations for review. It will then be reviewed by a quorum of Board of Pharmacy members who will make the final licensing decision. Is your corporation registered and do you have a business license in Alaska? All pharmacies and facilities seeking to obtain a professional license must first register their corporate entity and obtain an Alaska business license before a professional license will be issued. Please review the information on how to register a corporate entity here and how to obtain an Alaska business license here. How does the board determine license disciplinary action? When the board is considering license disciplinary action, they use disciplinary matrices which were created using past disciplinary action precedent for similar violations of statute and/or regulation. Please note - the board has the ultimate and final decision. What disciplinary actions or convictions must be disclosed for facility applicants and licensed facilities? For facilities that are now or at any time have been licensed for the manufacture or distribution of drugs or devices including as a third-party logistics provider, wholesale facility, or wholesale drug distributor: Disciplinary actions, including suspension or revocation by federal, state, or local government issued against the facility’s present or former license for the manufacture and distribution of drugs and devices. For all facilities: Felony convictions of an owner of the specific licensed facility. Example: Real Estate Company (REC) owns the building where a pharmacy is located, and REC is convicted of felony wire fraud. REC may in turn be owned by Pharmacy Co., but it is only convictions of REC that must be disclosed, not all felony convictions of any Pharmacy Co. subsidiary or other facilities that are owned by Pharmacy Co. or its parent company. Felony convictions of an employee of the specific licensed facility. Example: Cashier at Anytown Pharmacy has been convicted of distribution of child pornography. Cashier’s conviction must be disclosed. Felony convictions of the licensee. Example: Anytown Pharmacy, owned by Pharmacy Co. is convicted of felony Medicaid fraud. Conviction of Anytown Pharmacy must be disclosed, not felony convictions of any other pharmacy owned by Pharmacy Co. Disciplinary decisions issued against the licensee. Example: Anytown Pharmacy is disciplined by the board for violating regulations relating to shared pharmacy services. Disciplinary action against Anytown Pharmacy must be disclosed. Convictions of the licensee for any crime that affects the licensee’s ability to practice competently and safely. Example: Anytown Pharmacy is convicted of a crime listed in 12 AAC 52.925. Conviction of Anytown Pharmacy must be disclosed, not convictions of similar crimes by any other licensee owned by Pharmacy Co. How do I download a List of Licensees from your database? Go to the Search and Database Download Information webpage. Choose the Professional License Download hyperlink. Download the excel spreadsheet for the license type or data you are searching for What are the licensing requirements for Durable Medical Equipment (DME) vendors? All DME vendors must have an Alaska Business License. If the facility ships any prescription devices that fall under the following definition, then a professional license is required to ship those products to Alaska: “device” means an instrument, apparatus, implement, machine, contrivance, implant, or other similar or related article, including a component part or accessory, that is required under federal law to bear the label “Caution: Federal or state law requires dispensing by or on the order of a physician”. What are the requirements to independently administer vaccines and related emergency medications, and who is authorized to do this? Are there continuing education requirements associated with this? Pharmacists and pharmacy interns can independently administer immunizations or an epinephrine injection or other medication for the treatment of a severe allergic reaction only after completion of required training accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and completion of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) training. The full list of requirements can be found under AS 08.80.168, 12 AAC 52.992, and 7 AAC 27.650 under the Department of Health and Social Services (see the VacTrAK document here). The independent administration of immunizations or related emergency medications does not require prior board approval. The board also does not require pharmacists or pharmacy interns to submit to our department documentation of successful completion of these courses; however, pharmacists supervising an intern planning to engage in providing immunizations or related emergency medications should use their due diligence to ensure the pharmacy intern has complied with the training requirements. Only pharmacy interns whose supervising pharmacists prescribe the immunization or related emergency medication and otherwise comply with 12 AAC 52.992 can engage in this activity. Licensees wishing to engage in the continuous administration of immunizations and related emergency medications must participate in one hour of continuing education activity in accordance with 12 AAC 52.320(e) Does a Pharmacist-in-Charge (PIC) of an Alaska licensed Pharmacy located outside the state of Alaska need to have an active Alaska pharmacist license? Yes. The PIC of an Alaska licensed pharmacy located outside of Alaska is required to be licensed in Alaska and have an active Alaska Pharmacist license under 12 AAC 52.020 (b)(1)(F). This must be the actual PIC of the pharmacy, not a separate staff pharmacist/owner/etc. designated by the pharmacy as “the Alaska PIC”. License Requirements for Individual Pharmacists Working for the Indian Health Service (IHS) Effective May 19, 2024, there will no longer be a requirement for pharmacist working in the IHS to submit a license exemption form to the board. Pharmacies under the IHS that hold an Alaska Pharmacy license are required to have a Pharmacist-in-Charge (PIC) that has an active Alaska Pharmacist license under 12 AAC 52.020 (b)(1)(F). The IHS exemption currently in place through May 18th does not extend to the PIC. License Requirements for Individual Pharmacists Working for Tribal Health Programs Is my license activity public record? Yes, licensing records are public documents and available to members of the public upon written request and payment of copying fees. Information considered confidential and not releasable to the general public include social security numbers and other information considered confidential by state or federal law. Your address of record is public information and is displayed on the division's online License Search. Licensees have expressed concern that their address is so readily available. Some licensees have elected to have a post office box or practice location for their official address of record to avoid having their residential address easily accessible. Please be advised that all notices from the Board (renewal notices, licenses, and other legal documents) will be mailed to the address of record provided. What exams are required to be licensed as a Pharmacist in Alaska? The North American Pharmacy Licensing Exam (NAPLEX) is the recognized national exam accepted by the Alaska Board of Pharmacy. Effective May 19, 2024, the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) is no longer required for Pharmacist applicants. Pharmacist through reciprocity applicants will receive an Alaska Law Questionnaire from licensing staff through their My License portal once the application has been submitted and reviewed by staff for completeness. Those applicants will complete the 10 questions on the Alaska Law Questionnaire and upload the completed Alaska Law Questionnaire into their My License portal. All 10 questions must be correct before the application will move forward. Pharmacist through examination applicants, to include examination transfer, only need to take the NAPLEX through NABP, no Alaska Law Questionnaire. Any applicant for Pharmacist through reciprocity or examination, to include examination transfer, that submitted an application to the board before May 19, 2024, and has not yet passed the Alaska MPJE through NABP will not be required to take the Alaska MPJE through NABP after May 18, 2024. The board is working with NABP to have them halt the exam and issue refunds for any MPJEs scheduled after May 18, 2024. NABP owns and controls the MPJE. If you have questions concerning refunds for exams scheduled after May 18, 2024, please contact NABP as we cannot assist with that process. To take the NAPLEX you must contact the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) to register, schedule, and sit for your exam(s). When eligibility is granted, the NABP will send you an Authorization to Test (ATT) which explains the logistics and details of your exam(s). Once you pass your exam(s) please send an email to boardofpharmacy@alaska.gov informing the licensing staff so they can move your application forward. Examinations | National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (nabp.pharmacy) Is a reverse distributor receiving controlled substances for the purposes of returning the substances or processing the substances for disposal on behalf of another entity registered by the DEA required to obtain a license? No, the board does not require a reverse distributor to become licensed in Alaska so long as the facility is not selling or intending to sell the substances. A prescriber in my area recently had his/her license to practice suspended/revoked or is deceased. Can I fill a prescription written by him/her? What about refills? For a prescription to be valid it must be written by a licensed medical provider, for an actual patient of that provider, and be for a legitimate medical treatment of a diagnosed condition. As long as the provider’s license was valid when the prescription was written for that patient, then the prescription may be filled. The same applies for refills. For example, Dr. John Doe writes a prescription for his patient on April 06, 2023, with three refills. The next day, on April 07, 2023, Dr. John Doe surrenders his license and DEA registration, retires, passes away, etc. If the patient presents the prescription to the pharmacy and the pharmacist believes it was written in legitimate course of treatment and for a legitimate medical purpose, the prescription and refills should be filled. If a pharmacist has any concerns that a prescription may not be legitimate they should contact the board of pharmacy at boardofpharmacy@alaska.gov. Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Inspection Requirement for Manufacturers Beginning September 28, 2024, Manufacturer license types will be required to submit the most recent FDA GMP inspection of the facility along with new applications for licensure. Virtual Manufactures will need to submit the most recent FDA GMP inspection for the physical facility they contract with for their product. Do you have another question? Please fill out our Customer Contact Form for the fastest response. Return to Top