Chapter 450

450.01(16) (16) “Practice of pharmacy” means any of the following:

450.01(16)(a) (a) Interpreting prescription orders.

450.01(16)(b) (b) Compounding, packaging, labeling, dispensing and the coincident distribution of drugs and devices.

450.01(16)(c) (c) Participating in drug utilization reviews.

450.01(16)(d) (d) Proper and safe storage of drugs and devices and maintaining proper records of the drugs and devices.

450.01(16)(e) (e) Providing information on drugs or devices which may include, but is not limited to, advice relating to therapeutic values, potential hazards and uses.

450.01(16)(f) (f) Drug product substitution under s. 450.13.

450.01(16)(g) (g) Supervision of pharmacy technicians and other pharmacist supportive personnel.

450.01(16)(h) (h) Making therapeutic alternate drug selections, if made in accordance with written guidelines or procedures previously established by a pharmacy and therapeutics committee of a hospital and approved by the hospital’s medical staff and use of the therapeutic alternate drug selection has been approved for a patient during the period of the patient’s stay within the hospital by any of the following:

450.01(16)(h)1. 1. The patient’s physician.

450.01(16)(h)2. 2. The patient’s advanced practice nurse prescriber, if the advanced practice nurse prescriber has entered into a written agreement to collaborate with a physician.

450.01(16)(h)3. 3. The patient’s physician assistant.

450.01(16)(hm) (hm) Making therapeutic alternate drug selections in accordance with written guidelines or procedures previously established by a quality assessment and assurance committee of a nursing facility under s. 49.498 (2) (a) 3. or by a committee established for a nursing home under s. 50.045 (2), if the use of the therapeutic alternate drug selection has been approved for a patient during the period of the patient’s stay within the nursing facility or nursing home by any of the following:

450.01(16)(hm)1. 1. The patient’s personal attending physician.

450.01(16)(hm)3. 3. The patient’s physician assistant.

450.01(16)(hr) (hr) Making therapeutic alternate drug selections in accordance with written guidelines or procedures previously established in rules promulgated by the corrections system formulary board under s. 301.103, if the use of the therapeutic alternate drug selection has been approved for a prisoner, as defined in s. 301.01 (2), during his or her period of confinement in a state correctional institution, as defined in s. 301.01 (4), by any of the following:

450.01(16)(hr)1. 1. A physician.

450.01(16)(hr)2. 2. An advanced practice nurse prescriber.

450.01(16)(hr)3. 3. A physician assistant.

450.01(16)(i) (i) Drug regimen screening, including screening for therapeutic duplication, drug-to-drug interactions, incorrect dosage, incorrect duration of treatment, drug allergy reactions and clinical abuse or misuse.

450.01(16)(j) (j) Performing any act necessary to manage a pharmacy.

450.01(16)(k) (k) Administering prescribed drug products and devices under s. 450.035 (1r) and vaccines.

450.01(17) (17) “Practitioner” means a person licensed in this state to prescribe and administer drugs or licensed in another state and recognized by this state as a person authorized to prescribe and administer drugs.

450.01(18) (18) “Prescribed drug or device” means any drug or device prescribed by a practitioner.

450.01(19) (19) “Prescription” means a drug or device prescribed by a practitioner.

450.01(20) (20) “Prescription drug” means all of the following, but does not include blood, blood components intended for transfusion, or biological products that are also medical devices:

450.01(20)(a) (a) A drug, drug product, or drug-containing preparation that is subject to 21 USC 353 (b) or 21 CFR 201.105.

450.01(20)(b) (b) A controlled substance included in schedules II to V of ch. 961, whether by statute or rule, except a substance that by law may be dispensed without the prescription order of a practitioner. Controlled substances are included within this definition for purposes of s. 450.11 (3), (4) (a), and (8) only and for violations thereof punishable under s. 450.11 (9).

450.01(21) (21) “Prescription order” means an order transmitted orally, electronically or in writing by a practitioner for a drug or device for a particular patient and also includes a standing order issued under s. 441.18 (2) (a) 2. or 448.037 (2) (a) 2.

450.01(21c) (21c) “Remote dispensing site” means a pharmacy governed by s. 450.09 (2) (b) 2.

450.01(21e) (21e) “Repackage” means to repack or otherwise change the container, wrapper, or label of a prescription drug, except that “repackage” does not include any of the following:

450.01(21e)(a) (a) An action by a pharmacist or pharmacy technician with respect to a prescription drug that the pharmacist or pharmacy technician is dispensing.

450.01(21e)(b) (b) An action by a pharmacist who receives a prescription drug or device that the pharmacist dispensed to a patient, if, after altering the packaging or labeling of the prescription drug or device, the pharmacist returns the prescription drug or device to the patient.

450.01(21m) (21m) “Repackager” means a person that repackages.

450.01(21p) (21p) “Standing order” means an order transmitted electronically or in writing by a practitioner for a drug or device for multiple patients or for one or more groups of patients.

450.01(21s) (21s) “Third-party logistics provider” means a person that contracts with a prescription drug manufacturer to provide or coordinate warehousing, distribution, or other services on behalf of the manufacturer but that does not take title to the manufacturer’s prescription drug or have general responsibility to direct the prescription drug’s sale or disposition.

450.01(22) (22) “Vaccination protocol” means a written protocol agreed to by a physician, as defined in s. 448.01 (5), and a pharmacist that establishes procedures and record-keeping and reporting requirements for the administration of a vaccine by a pharmacist for a period specified in the protocol that may not exceed 2 years.

450.01(23) (23) “Wholesale distribution” means distribution of a prescription drug to a person other than a consumer or patient, but does not include any of the following:

450.01(23)(a) (a) Intracompany sales of prescription drugs.

450.01(23)(b) (b) The sale, purchase, distribution, trade, or transfer of a prescription drug or offer to sell, purchase, distribute, trade, or transfer a prescription drug for emergency medical reasons.

450.01(23)(c) (c) The distribution of prescription drug samples, if the distribution is permitted under 21 USC 353 (d).

450.01(23)(d) (d) Drug returns, when conducted by a hospital, health care entity, or charitable institution as provided in 21 CFR 203.23.

450.01(23)(e) (e) The sale of minimal quantities, as defined by the board in an administrative rule, of prescription drugs by retail pharmacies to licensed practitioners for office use.

450.01(23)(f) (f) The sale, purchase, or trade of a drug, an offer to sell, purchase, or trade a drug, or the dispensing of a drug pursuant to a prescription.

450.01(23)(g) (g) The sale, transfer, merger, or consolidation of all or part of the business of a pharmacy from or with another pharmacy, whether accomplished as a purchase and sale of stock or business assets.

450.01(23)(h) (h) The sale, purchase, distribution, trade, or transfer of a prescription drug from one authorized distributor of record to one additional authorized distributor of record, if the manufacturer states in writing to the receiving authorized distributor of record that the manufacturer is unable to supply the drug and the supplying authorized distributor of record states in writing that the drug has previously been exclusively in the normal distribution channel.

450.01(23)(i) (i) The delivery of, or offer to deliver, a prescription drug by a common carrier solely in the common carrier’s usual course of business of transporting prescription drugs, if the common carrier does not store, warehouse, or take legal ownership of the drug.

450.01(23)(j) (j) A transaction excluded from the definition of “wholesale distribution” under 21 CFR 203.3 (cc).

450.01(23)(k) (k) The donation or distribution of a prescription drug under s. 255.056 or under 21 CFR 203.39.

450.01(23)(L) (L) The transfer from a retail pharmacy or pharmacy warehouse of an expired, damaged, returned, or recalled prescription drug to the original manufacturer or original wholesale distributor or to a 3rd-party returns processor or reverse distributor.

450.01(23)(m) (m) The return of a prescription drug, if the return is authorized by the law of this state.

450.01(23)(n) (n) The operation or implementation of a drug disposal program that is authorized under s. 165.65 (2) or (3) or is authorized under federal law, as defined in s. 165.65 (1) (a), or the possession or delivery of a household pharmaceutical item, as defined in s. 165.65 (1) (d), within the scope of a drug disposal program that is authorized under s. 165.65 (2) or (3) or is authorized under federal law.

450.01(23)(o) (o) The possession or delivery of a prescription drug within the scope of a written authorization under s. 450.115 (3).

450.01(23)(p) (p) The services of a 3rd-party logistics provider or out-of-state 3rd-party logistics provider.

450.01(24) (24) “Wholesale distributor” means a person engaged in the wholesale distribution of prescription drugs, including manufacturers, repackagers, own-label distributors, private label distributors, jobbers, brokers, warehouses, including manufacturers’ and distributors’ warehouses, manufacturers’ exclusive distributors, manufacturers’ authorized distributors of record, prescription drug wholesalers and distributors, independent wholesale prescription drug traders, retail pharmacies that conduct wholesale distribution, and chain pharmacy warehouses that conduct wholesale distribution.

450.01 History History: 1985 a. 146; 1987 a. 65; 1991 a. 114; 1995 a. 448; 1997 a. 27, 68; 1997 a. 237 s. 727m; 2005 a. 187; 2007 a. 20; 2009 a. 142; 2011 a. 161, 260; 2013 a. 198, 200, 294; 2015 a. 40, 115; 2017 a. 149, 328; 2019 a. 24; 2021 a. 23, 25, 100, 101.

450.01 Annotation Vitamins not intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, investigation, treatment, or prevention of diseases are not drugs under this section. 66 Atty. Gen. 137.

450.02 450.02 Pharmacy examining board.

450.02(1) (1) The department shall keep a record of the proceedings and a register of the names and places of practice or business of pharmacies, manufacturers, wholesale distributors, 3rd-party logistics providers, out-of-state 3rd-party logistics providers, and other persons licensed under this chapter, and the books, registers and records of the department shall be prima facie evidence of the matters recorded.

450.02(2) (2) The board shall promulgate rules to do all of the following:

450.02(2)(a) (a) Define the active practice of pharmacy. The rules shall apply to all applicants for licensure under s. 450.05.

450.02(2)(b) (b) Define the activities that constitute the practice of a pharmacy technician for purposes of the registration requirement under s. 450.068.

450.02(2g) (2g) 

450.02(2g)(a) (a) The pharmacy examining board shall, after consultation with the medical examining board and the board of nursing, promulgate rules that establish criteria for approving courses under ss. 450.035 (1r) and (2) and 450.085 (1).

450.02(2g)(b) (b) The board shall promulgate rules that establish requirements and procedures for the administration of a drug product or device, as defined in s. 450.035 (1g), by a pharmacist under s. 450.035 (1r) or by another person under s. 450.035 (1t).

450.02(2m) (2m) The board shall periodically prepare and distribute letters, bulletins or other types of notice to pharmacists that identify the courses that are approved for purposes of ss. 450.035 (1r) and (2) and 450.085 (1).

450.02(3) (3) The board may promulgate rules:

450.02(3)(a) (a) Relating to the manufacture of drugs and the distribution and dispensing of prescription drugs.

450.02(3)(b) (b) Establishing security standards for pharmacies.

450.02(3)(c) (c) Relating to the manufacture, distribution and dispensing of hypodermic syringes, needles and other objects used, intended for use or designed for use in injecting a drug.

450.02(3)(d) (d) Necessary for the administration and enforcement of this chapter and ch. 961.

450.02(3)(e) (e) Establishing minimum standards for the practice of pharmacy.

450.02(3)(f) (f) Establishing procedures for identifying pharmacists and pharmacy technicians impaired by alcohol or other drugs or physical or mental disability or disease and for assisting those pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in obtaining treatment.

450.02(3m) (3m) 

450.02(3m)(a) (a) The board or its designee may grant a variance to a requirement of this chapter or to a rule promulgated by the board if all of the following are true:

450.02(3m)(a)1. 1. The board or its designee determines that a natural or man-made disaster or emergency exists or has occurred.

450.02(3m)(a)2. 2. A pharmacist has requested the variance.

450.02(3m)(a)3. 3. The board or its designee determines that the variance is necessary to protect the public health, safety, or welfare.

450.02(3m)(am) (am) If a member of the board disagrees with a decision made by a designee under par. (a) or sub. (3r), the board chairperson shall call a meeting of the board as soon as practicable to review the decision. The board may affirm or modify the designee’s decision.

450.02(3m)(b) (b) A variance granted under par. (a) shall be for a stated term not to exceed 90 days, except that the board or its designee may extend the variance upon request by a pharmacist if it determines that an extension is necessary to protect the public health, safety, or welfare.

450.02(3r) (3r) 

450.02(3r)(a) (a) The board or its designee may authorize a pilot program, and may grant a waiver or variance in connection with the pilot program from any rule promulgated by the board, if all of the following are true:

450.02(3r)(a)1. 1. The pilot program is related to the practice of pharmacy or prescription verification.

450.02(3r)(a)2. 2. The board or its designee determines that the pilot program will improve the safety, quality, or efficiency of the practice of pharmacy in this state.

450.02(3r)(b) (b) The board or its designee may not authorize a pilot program under par. (a) that lasts longer than 3 years.

450.02(4) (4) The board may not promulgate a rule which does any of the following:

450.02(4)(a) (a) Limits to a pharmacist the authority to sell or in any way interferes with the sale of nonnarcotic nonprescription drugs that are prepackaged for consumer use and labeled in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws.

450.02(4)(b) (b) Interprets s. 448.03 (2) (e) to expand the therapeutic alternate drug selection powers of a pharmacist beyond those specified in s. 450.01 (16) (h).

450.02(5) (5) The board may promulgate rules governing pharmacies that are operated as remote dispensing sites. Rules promulgated under this subsection may exempt pharmacies operated as remote dispensing sites from requirements governing pharmacies that are not operated as remote dispensing sites.